Are You My Forever After?
by Dana-Eliza
Summary: In a world where the name of your soulmate is written on your wrist, not everything is as easy as it seems. 9 stories are told. The struggles they have, how they deal with their soulmates and how some of them avoid theirs. Does a soulmate always mean a happy ending? Stories by: Sakura, Nagato, Gaara, Suigetsu x Karin, Ino, Deidara, Kakashi, Itachi and Obito. Straight, yaoi, yuri
1. Chapter 1

My try at a soulmate AU and yes, I shouldn't have started something new, but I did it anyway.

There are nine different stories for nine different types of soulmates. This will show the struggles of such a world for these characters. This story has straight, yaoi and yuri pairings, but I won't go much into the sex part of their relationships.

_..._

_Sakura_

Days, weeks, months, even years she was willing to wait on her soulmate. There was no rush to find them. Now she simply had the time to prepare. Practise her first dates and figure out what she wanted for herself in life before she settled down with someone. Sakura really had all the time in the world. Why rush when life was so long? Graduating from college with high grades and after that working her ass off in the hospital, now she had finally managed to get a secure job as a nurse, even leading her own little team of interns.

Her life was steady and she was enjoying it to the fullest. There was only one thing that screwed things up and that was the guy that stalked her. Every day she would find a little note in her mailbox, wishing her a great day. Every week a big bouquet of roses would be delivered to her house. There was nothing really dangerous about it, it was just creepy sometimes. Knowing someone was watching you through the window whenever you were cooking dinner in the kitchen. But because he had never actually approached her, she could not get a restraining order against him. She wasn't even exactly sure what he looked like.

It would've been so much easier if she had found her soulmate already.

* * *

_Nagato_

Of course to everyone around Nagato always pretended he didn't care much for the name written on his wrist. Waving it off as something that was for the future to worry about. It would happen in good time and then would he think about what it meant for his life.

But that was not how he really saw it. Secretly he cherished the name written on his wrist, loved looking at it and smiled every time he said it out loud. Figuring out on his own what the name would sound like was the most interesting part and he had enjoyed it, all alone in his apartment. That was where he fantasized about his soulmate, imagined what he would look like and how their life would be together.

You can imagine how happy he was when he finally found that person. The one he had been waiting on all these years. Yahiko. The smile wouldn't leave his lips after the other had introduced himself and Nagato held onto his hand as if his life depended on it. But Nagato never got the same recognition when he said his name. Yahiko stayed calm and polite and Nagato thought he was just playing it cool.

Until Yahiko introduced Nagato to Konan, his soulmate. And the names written on their wrists didn't lie.

* * *

_Gaara_

Soulmates. Was it really necessary to have one? Gaara firmly believed that you didn't need one in your life and it was far easier to live it without anyone else meddling in. Gaara never had been a fan of people in general. Spending time alone is what he had done since he was a child. At first because kids didn't want to play with him for whatever reason and soon after that he actually started to prefer being alone.

Those hopeful glances he sometimes received when he met new people just saddened him. Everyone was so fixated on finding that person that would make them happy. His sister had gotten married far too early and was now constantly fighting with the guy that was supposed to be her soulmate. How could that really make you happy? Every time Gaara would come by, he wished he would never meet his soulmate. He was better off without anyone and more and more people started to agree with him. For different reasons though.

The thing is, Gaara didn't have a name on his wrist and was considered broken by many.

* * *

_Suigetsu and Karin_

'Why don't you just get your stuff and leave?'

This was how they spend many of their days. Fighting. Why? They didn't actually know and some said they were crazy for staying together for this long. There was just this strange pull they had to one another and every time Suigetsu looked at her, he fell more and more in love. Of course he also just loved seeing her angry. How passionate she got was just this amazing sight he couldn't let go of. He loved Karin with all his heart.

'Are you sure you want me to go?' Suigetsu shouted back at her. Standing in their kitchen they shared during many happy times. Cooked together, danced together to crazy tunes, laughed together and shared those intimate moments that were only meant for that one special person. 'We both know I can easily find someone else to replace you,' he added and that was when he had crossed a line. Tears started to streak Karin's cheeks and Suigetsu quickly embraced her, murmuring soft apologies, because he didn't want to lose her.

Talking about someone else was always a low blow. It stung more than it would for other people. Because Suigetsu and Karin had decided they would give up on finding their soulmate, ignore the names on their wrists and choose each other.

Their might just be someone out there that fitted them much better.

* * *

_Ino_

Waking up in the morning next to a warm body was nice. Cuddling that person and start the day with kissing that person made things even better. Sharing a shower and then preparing breakfast together made it the best day in her life. Ino was happy, she really was. There was nothing in this world that could tell her she should live her life differently, even if she too ignored the name on her wrist.

The person she woke up next to was a male. A very normal and slightly lazy man. The name on her wrist belonged to a female.

This was what Ino had known since she was little. At first it was fantastic, because having a name on your wrist meant your soulmate was out there. But the older she got, the more she realised what this meant. She would end up with a woman. Never in her life had she ever been attracted to a woman. Never had she thought, yes she is indeed very beautiful and I would like to kiss her. She had actually tried. Went on a date, shared a goodnight's kiss, but after that she knew this was not what she wanted. The butterflies she felt when a guy held her, when they bought her flowers and took her on amazing dates. How devastated she felt when one would dump her for their soulmate.

So Ino ignored the name on her wrist, because she wasn't attracted to girls and she never would be.

* * *

_Deidara_

Often Deidara wondered. All the what ifs had gone by already. What if I had chosen another profession? What if I was raised in another country, a different environment? What if I hadn't met my soulmate yet…? Maybe this was odd for someone to ask themselves. He should be happy that he had found the person that was right for him. According to same greater power or something. Deidara never really understood how soulmates were created or how that name suddenly formed on your wrist. Did it really matter anyway?

It was just that his relationship was difficult. Sometimes Deidara felt like he was walking on egg shells every time he entered the house. They didn't fight often. Yes, they agreed on certain points and that was fine. There was just something standing in between them.

Sasori was… not easy to deal with. He was closed off, didn't care much for physically showing you cared for someone and he was also very impatient. Sometimes Deidara just wished there was more. There were times Deidara knew Sasori loved him deeply. When the artist suddenly created something that resembled him for example or when Sasori came home with a gift for Deidara and it was the watch he had been eyeing the week before. It was those small things that made Deidara smile all day. And yet it was not enough.

He understood why Sasori was so distant sometimes though. Why they didn't have sex very often and why the I love you's they shared were kept to a minimum. Really Deidara couldn't blame Sasori at all.

Absently Deidara stroked his wrist as he listened to Sasori's brush sliding over a fresh and clean canvas. The name there would never disappear, edged into the skin. A forever reminder that maybe Sasori was not the one for him. That maybe his other wrist was lying.

Who knew that having two names written on your wrists could cause this much trouble?

* * *

_Kakashi_

Those shocked faces. He would never forget them. But it wasn't his fault. It's not like he had planned this. If he could've actually chosen someone, could've said he didn't want this soulmate. He would've scrubbed off the name and lived on all alone.

Kakashi was born without a name and that was fine. Not everyone was born with one. Some names appeared later when your other half was a little younger than you. But as Kakashi got older and still no name ever appeared on his wrist he started to think he was broken. There had been enough stories about some people never finding a soulmate. They said they had been made to be alone. That there was something so wrong with them that they could never love anyone.

Right now Kakashi wished those rumours had been true about him. He wished that a name had never appeared and that he would forever be alone. That he was too broken to be fixed. That he could never love anyone.

But life was cruel and it hit him hard in the face as the seventeen year old entered the hospital room. As did his friend's hand, the one that had helped him out through all these years and that had stayed with him even through the hard times.

Because there in the bed laid his soulmate. Kakashi's name written on the soft skin of a small baby's wrist. And there on Kakashi's wrist in black neat letters stood the name: Naruto Uzumaki. A one day old baby boy.

* * *

_Itachi_

Babies were the most precious thing in the world. Itachi was convinced they were. Their little hands and their little feet. Those little clothes that still seemed to big on them. Chubby cheeks and hair only partially spread out on their scalp. To think Itachi now had a baby brother that had all these things and that Itachi was allowed to hug him and play with him. This was just the most amazing thing in the world to him.

He had heard the hushed whispers going through the hallway and had noticed the odd stares he had received from the adults around, but what did he really know? He was only five years old. Had just started school and was slowly adjusting to this new life. Focusing on all the strange things adults did around them was not on Itachi's mind at all.

His mother was looking into the baby room where Sasuke was lying in his little crib with this sad look on her face. But Itachi never noticed. He was too focused on watching his baby brother sleep. How the little arms flailed a little when Sasuke had a dream was this amazing thing and Itachi couldn't help but giggle at the awkward movements the little baby tried to make.

Reaching for Sasuke's little hand, the tiny fingers wrapped around two of Itachi's and held him tightly, as if to say please stay here. It gave Itachi this perfect view of Sasuke's wrist where Itachi's name was written down in special swirly letters. Looking over at his own wrist his smile only grew, because there it was, the proof that they would always love each other. Sasuke's name edged into Itachi's pale skin.

* * *

_Obito_

There she was. It had taken Obito such a long time to finally find her. The name had adorned his wrist since he was only one year old and ever since then he had hoped every day that he would meet her. But year after year passed by and never did he come across anyone with that name. At times he felt desperate and stepped outside in the pouring rain, searching street after street in the hope that she would be walking around somewhere, doing the same.

Maybe it was odd that he had this obsession with the name on his wrist, but the idea of having a soulmate was just this beautiful thing. There was someone out there that was specially made for you. They belonged with you.

And then when he hit thirty years old he got tired of waiting. No, he didn't move on. Obito couldn't turn his back on her, ever. This was the one for him. He hired a private detective instead and made him search for her. It wasn't long before he came back with information on her and Obito was ecstatic to find out where she was.

Dressing to perfection and buying the most beautiful flowers he could get Obito went on his way. It was lovely out. Sun shining bright in the air, slight breeze rustling through the trees. Nothing could make this day go wrong.

And there she was. This cold hard black stone, name roughly slammed into it and then dates added to it. Flowers were spread around, showing so much love, but not as much as Obito would. Laying the flowers down beside them he murmured a soft apology, a tear slipping from his eyes.

Because Rin had died two years ago.

...

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think and what your ideas are on the current stories!


	2. Chapter 2

Another chapter, continuing with all the stories. I could've done one chapter per person, but I think this will work better. Or at least in my head it does. I've got all the relationships figured out already and know how it all ends, so I'll try to update frequently!

Also thank you for the sweet reviews, even if I was threatened to be arrested ^^ I hope you will enjoy the rest as well!

...

_Sakura_

Scared. That was what she was right now. Having a stalker was never a good thing and after browsing the internet a few times she had learned that they often escalated. The stalking would get worse until there was some kind of high point. Sakura realised that only the really bad cases made the internet, but that didn't comfort her at all. What if she would be one of those bad cases? What if she ended up in a ditch on the side of the road, because the police couldn't do anything as long as the stalker hadn't actually approached her in any way. Something bad had to happen before she could even do anything and then she would merely get a restraining order. As if that was going to help.

To make herself feel better Sakura had actually gone to the hairdresser and had gotten herself a new hairdo. Pink hair… Ino was going to laugh at her for this, but Sakura only hoped it would scare the stalker off. Ruining something he liked about her. Too bad it had only attracted the stalker more and it had resulted in her getting a gift. No, it wasn't just one gift. There were several. One delivered to her work, one at the register of the local supermarket and one standing by her front door.

A black headband to move her hair out of her eyes. A coupon to take a friend out for some drinks. And lastly a box filled with Sakura flowers, most already wilted under the sunlight and due to lack of water. She could only imagine what this meant for her.

Maybe waiting on her soulmate to show up wasn't such a smart idea right now. Dating a strong guy might actually help her get rid of this stalker. Safety was more important than love.

* * *

_Nagato_

His expression must've said enough. The happy smile changing as soon as he laid eyes on Konan and the names on their wrists. He would've cried, he would've screamed, but instead he just looked shocked. Eyes wide, air stuck in his throat, because right now he didn't want to breathe. It was obvious something was wrong.

Living in a world where the focus was on finding your soulmate, people usually connected facial expressions with things that had to do with that name written on your wrist. The happy smiles, the tearing up and sometimes people even fainted. But everyone also knew about the bad ones. It didn't occur often, it wasn't the norm, but not everyone had their happy ending or wanted their happy ending for that matter. They had classes in school that explained facial expressions, that studied behaviour and made you realise at a young age what it would be like for you.

So Yahiko's reaction was logical. Nagato couldn't blame him at all. He would've done the same thing.

Blindly Yahiko grabbed for Nagato's hand and slipped the sleeve off, seeing how his name was printed there in a nice cursive on the pale skin.

And then the real problem started.

* * *

_Gaara_

Doctors… Gaara hated them, all of them. It didn't matter what they were specialised in or if they believed in medicine or in alternative ways. They all had that one thing in common Gaara didn't even want to think about. They all believed he was broken and needed to be fixed. At his age he should have a name on his wrist already, but it hadn't happened and it never would. He strongly believed in this. No name would magically appear on his wrist one morning and everything would be alright again. He was better off broken.

Still he let Temari drag him from one place to the other, all those people examining him. Some wanted him to take pills or other things that would help him come to term with things. Others actually wanted to cut him open and see if something was wrong on the inside. As if answers would pop up out of nowhere then. Gaara never followed through with any of it though. The consult was one thing, but actually actively trying to do something about this. No, he never would.

Sometimes he did wonder though, but not about what it would be like. He wasn't interested in love and never would be. But what if someone out there carried his name around and was waiting on him to finally show up? He pitied that person.

He wouldn't carry their name. He wouldn't be branded like some kind of farm animal.

* * *

_Suigetsu and Karin_

'Can't we just get married or something?'

Desperation. That was the state they were at now. This wasn't some kind of loving proposal Karin had just done. This was trying to find a solution to their problem, but nothing they had come up with would actually work. All day Suigetsu had been calling different companies, trying to get a loan, but all of them had rejected him so far and then Karin had gotten home and they had discussed things, but their voices had started rising again and soon they would be fighting. It was inevitable. They were both just so tired of this.

'Yeah, you go find a pastor that would actually marry us,' Suigetsu shot back, a very snide comment. He was angry. Not at Karin and not at her stupid suggestion. He was mad at all those banks that promised big things, but wouldn't follow through for them. 'You know how much they love none soulmates knocking on their door, preaching about how their love is the real thing.'

The problem now was that they had found a house. This big thing just outside of the city where they had lots of space to move through and even if they hadn't said anything about it yet, this would be where they would have children. They just couldn't afford it at this point and therefore had wanted to take out a loan. But the loan had to be in two names, because they were both going to live there and a loan could only be taken out by two soulmates. A ridiculous rule, but in a soulmate focused world very logical. And Suigetsu hated it.

Getting on her knees Karin sat down in front of Suigetsu, trying to smile up at him, but it faltered midway through. 'Let's just stay here then. I-I really love it here too. We can just stay here.'

And just like that another dream was out the window.

* * *

_Ino_

She knew this day was bound to come, but still when it happened it left her shocked.

Working for an advertising company was fun and you came across a lot of different clients with a lot of different ideas. Ino had loved her job the minute she had started it, finding fulfilment when another client left happy with a new way of bringing their product or company to the public. It was exciting to see your finished idea out in the open, waiting to be judged by outsiders.

But working in advertising also meant dealing with a lot of competition. Even within the company Ino had dealt with a lot of battles, but it was all in good fun. Nothing was meant harsh and even now that her colleague had gotten the latest company to work with, she was happy for her. Her colleague also deserved a win once in a while, so she would concede and help whenever needed. It was only by coincidence that Ino was downstairs in the lobby when the new client was greeted…

When her co-worker called out the name of the client was the moment Ino fell into a hole. With a shocked expression she looked up from the mail she had gotten and stared right into this beautiful girl's smiling face.

'Hinata Hyuuga, welcome!'

Raised in a world with soulmates had taught them a lot and as soon as Hinata noticed Ino's stare, a happy smile broke out on hers, knowing exactly what this meant. The recognition of Hinata's name was enough.

But that happy smile would soon falter when Hinata learned that Ino was still not attracted to girls.

* * *

_Deidara_

A moment that had started with a simple question. All Deidara had wanted was some attention, but not something like this.

'Don't you want to touch me?'

That's how it had begun. After not even being kissed for two weeks Deidara had enough and had decided to take action. Straight out of work Deidara had a shower and then strut around naked for a few hours, hoping to entice some kind of reaction out of Sasori, but to no avail. All the redhead had been doing was paint, never once looking up from the canvas while a little pink tongue peeked out between thin lips.

After asking the question though Sasori had looked up and had stared at Deidara for the longest time before sitting down next to Deidara on the couch. Grabbing his wrist rather forcefully he pulled it towards him and started following the lines of the name written there. Not his name. Minutes had ticked by and Deidara had tried to pull his hand back, but Sasori was strong and he didn't want this moment to get stranger than it already was.

'Do you think you can remove it?'

Something Deidara had considered a few times already, had even looked up, but there were no stories of something like that happening. There were only a few who were in the same predicament as he was and all had different outcomes, but none had removed the name from their wrists. 'No, I don't think that's an option,' he murmured.

Sasori nodded in response and then released Deidara's hand, getting up again and moving straight back to his canvas. It left Deidara feeling hurt for not getting touched again. More than a month now since they last made love. Standing up too Deidara followed after Sasori, wanting to talk about this more and got right behind him.

And there on the canvas was he, naked. Because Sasori had been paying attention and had been looking at Deidara.

For Sasori he was the only one.

* * *

_Kakashi_

Long walks. Something Kakashi often enjoyed. Reasons for this was that he could do it alone, people would leave him alone and he could do it almost anywhere he wanted. This time it was the park. A park far away from his home, because even if people didn't bother him, the whispers they shared close to him usually chased him off anyway. Your soulmate being a child of now… five years old did not give you a good reputation. No matter if you hadn't seen the kid since he was born nor had contacted the parents since that faithful day. People liked judging others and then gossip about it.

So parks in other neighbourhoods it was.

Kakashi really only had one friend at this point and he was a little nuts, but Kakashi was happy to have his support at least. Gai was always there for him and in the end that was all that mattered. No judging looks, all smiles and weird talks about being youthful. Kakashi had never felt as old as now and he was barely twenty two.

But of course his walk needed some excitement, because walks weren't exciting enough on their own. When the young boy tugged on his sleeve and Kakashi looked down, he instantly recognised him. The blue eyes, half sheltered by puffy eyelids due to excessive crying and then that bleach blond hair that framed his tanned face nicely screamed Minato Namikaze. No need to look at this little boy's wrist.

'Can you help me, sir? I lost my mommy and daddy.'

Now there was no way Kakashi would leave this little boy out alone in the park, but actually bringing him home was one of the scariest things he had ever done. It didn't get any better when he was called a paedophile by the mother and the father threatened to call the police when Kakashi delivered him home.

Kakashi wished with all his heart that he would never have to see that bright smile of that little boy again.

* * *

_Itachi_

There were many things Itachi already understood at his age, but this was something he couldn't wrap his little mind around. Now at eight years old Itachi was in the doorway to the living room, glancing around the corner to see his little brother play with some toy cars. Cars that once belonged to him, but he was now too old to play with him, or so his father says. And Itachi always listened to his parents.

That's why he was in the doorway now, because he wasn't allowed to be near his brother. Hadn't been allowed for years now. Ever since Sasuke was a little baby Itachi was told to stay away. To play in his own room and not bother looking when Sasuke was crying. It never made sense to him and his parents would never explain. Still Itachi listened, because his parents were always right about these things. It just seemed odd, because his wrist still clearly said Sasuke and that did mean something. Why couldn't they spend time together?

Kids in school had already made fun of him too, because of his little brother's name and it was something Itachi didn't understand either, but he didn't think those kids did too. Why was it bad to have your brother's name on your wrist? Why was it bad to want to be with your little brother more? Why was his life already so complicated?

He just wanted to be with Sasuke.

* * *

_Obito_

What comes next?

As if he knew the answer to that. All his life he had been waiting on her to show up and then in a blink of an eye it was all over. The future he had imagined had disappeared and now he had to start all over again. Because apparently moving on was the first priority. Who had come up with that idea was seriously disturbed and should go hang themselves. Obito didn't want to move on. He simply wanted to wallow himself in self-pity and drink to it. Kind of like a "cheers mate on being single forever". That's kind of what it would be like now, right? Obito would never actually get over Rin. That was impossible.

What he hated most now were those people that denied themselves their soulmates. The ones that preferred being single or chose to be with someone else. That denied themselves the perfect kind of love. It would be gone before you know it and then you could never spend time with them anymore, no matter how hard you wish for it.

That's why he didn't visit his nephew's house anymore. Denying two little kids each other was awful. Why did it matter that they were brothers? It was this beautiful thing that two soulmates were together since they were just little children and they shouldn't be denied that. They should be pushed closer together, encouraged to love fully and to never let each other go.

Obito hated it all. Mostly because he was jealous of what they had.

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

I made a mistake in the last chapter! In Nagato's piece it was Yahiko grabbing Nagato's hand, not the other way around. It has been edited now, but sorry for the mistake!

...

_Sakura_

It had gotten worse instead of better. Sakura had started seeing a guy, a muscular guy that was a lot taller than her too, to make her feel safe. And it had worked when he was there. He hadn't been the smartest cookie of the bunch, but he was sweet and had been good company. In the morning they said their farewells and with a light kiss she sent the other on his way. Sakura didn't expect they would see each other once more. But it had made her feel safe the entire night and that was the point of it all.

She hadn't expected it would actually set of her stalker. As soon as the guy had left her house and was out of sight, Sakura's phone had ringed. Thinking nothing of it she had answered and immediately came the flood of accusations. Sakura hadn't been prepared for this. She didn't even recognise the number.

'How could you betray me like that? Don't we have something special? I feel so humiliated! Sakura, please. Promise me you won't do something like that again. You can't ruin this. We are meant for each other.'

With trembling hands she had hung up the phone, not letting the other finish his strange speech. How had he gotten her number? And did he really think they had something special? Sakura hadn't even met the guy.

After that he had called her back instantly and when she didn't pick up, he called again and again, desperately trying to get her to answer. But she didn't dare to. She had seen the movies where the girl picked up the phone and then was threatened, finding her demise only one scene later. Sakura didn't want to die yet!

When someone rang the doorbell over and over again while her phone kept ringing as well, she had enough. Stuffing some clothes in a bag she took everything she needed to last a few days and then fled through the back door. She didn't stop running until she reached the bus stop, finding safety among some teens that looked like they were up to no good. Strangely enough she felt like they would stand up for her if something were to happen here.

After that she stayed with Ino for a while, too afraid to even think about going home.

Finding her soulmate was far from her mind.

* * *

_Nagato_

This was not how Nagato wanted his story to go. Soulmates were supposed to be the one for you. That tattoo represented the one that fitted you best and here Nagato was, not sharing his name on his soulmate's wrist.

The worst part about this all was that Yahiko wanted to include Nagato in his life. For him Nagato's tattoo meant that they would be great friends and now Nagato was dragged along to any sort of event. And the more time Nagato spent with Yahiko, the more he saw why Yahiko had been chosen as his soulmate. The energy that bounced off of Yahiko. The confidence. That smile that kicked Nagato's feet from under him. Yahiko was this beautiful person and Nagato couldn't help it. He had fallen head over heels in love.

Every fibre in Nagato's body screamed to let it go, because Yahiko was never going to like him back like that, but it was easier said than done. The more Yahiko invited him over, the longer Nagato stuck around, trying to get as much Yahiko time as he could.

But there was always something lingering in the background, watching him, waiting. Konan was not happy with this turn of events at all and Nagato could understand. They had been together for two years already and in came Nagato, making them question the stability of their relationship too. She hated him and that was okay too.

Because he hated her even more.

* * *

_Gaara_

'I don't believe in the soulmate system. I don't think people can be fated to be with someone and it seems my body has always agreed with me. There is no tattoo on my wrist.'

Gaara held up his wrist for the other to see, keeping up a strong gaze. It was already difficult to explain his way of thinking to people, but this was definitely the hardest time. Never had he prepared himself for this. He always just assumed he was alone in this and that God or whatever being created this system understood his wishes and had left him "broken" like this. But this, this was just some kind of sick joke. Who would do this?

Gentle fingers grabbed Gaara's hand and let a finger slide over the place a tattoo normally would've been. Then motioning for the other the person wanted to make sure both wrists were blank and they were.

Never had Gaara seen anyone look this… shattered. Those pale eyes shimmering slightly in the sunlight, showed tears welling up, but he was too proud to let them fall. The corners of his thin lips were pulled downwards in a grimace. Even his hair looked less lively after Gaara had delivered the news.

It didn't change anything though. This man may wear Gaara's name on his wrist, but that didn't mean Gaara would throw out his beliefs. He didn't want a soulmate and never would want a soulmate. So the expression on the man's face didn't really touch him. It was too bad for him, but what good would it do if Gaara stuck around longer?

'I have to go now.' And without a further word spoken Gaara left the man standing there, in the middle of the street, shattered by what just happened to him.

It hadn't been Gaara's fault that the guy wore Gaara's name on his wrist. And the man was beautiful enough to find someone that would love him properly. Maybe Gaara actually taught the long haired man something.

Maybe he would understand that this soulmate system was simply overrated.

* * *

_Suigetsu and Karin_

'I'm sorry. The booth is only for soulmates, but I can get you two separate chairs to watch the movie from.'

'I'm sorry, you can't use this credit card. It's not in your name or your soulmate's name. Please use a different way to pay for these items.'

'Excuse me, sir. I've noticed you haven't found your soulmate yet. I have a company that could help you out with finding the lucky lady.'

'Ma'am, has this man been harassing you? I can call the police if you want me to. Is your soulmate somewhere around?'

'Sir, you really need to calm down or else I will have you removed from this building. I cannot give you what you want. This information is classified for soulmates only.'

* * *

_Ino_

Quietly they were sitting across from each other at a little coffee shop. Her colleague had understood something was happening and had immediately jumped out of the way, saying soulmates were much more important than some kind of advertising job. Maybe it would've been better if she had stuck around and had gone through with the meeting.

But here they were, Ino having just said she wasn't attracted to girls and didn't really know what to do about it. It had been quiet since. Hinata had been looking down at her cup of tea, watching how it grew darker and darker as the herbs infused with the water. It was an uncomfortable silence and Ino really wanted to leave now. Why couldn't she be one of the people that never met her soulmate? It would've been so much easier then.

Seeing this beautiful girl sitting across from her, utterly confused and heartbroken. She hadn't spoken much yet. Hinata was a quiet girl, Ino instantly noticed, a little shy and bashful. Her smile was sweet and soft. Quite the opposite of Ino, who spoke her mind too soon often and came onto people too strongly when she wanted attention.

'You know somewhere it's kind of funny,' Hinata suddenly spoke up, keeping her gaze down as a slight blush formed on her cheeks. Still shy, but she found the courage to respond. 'My cousin got rejected the other day too. Maybe it's something in the family.' A fake smile tugged at Hinata's lips, trying to make the pain go away and it made Ino only feel guiltier. 'I don't know who had it worse though. The other not wearing your name on their wrist or being rejected because the other is not gay.' A tear slid down Hinata's cheek and she immediately lowered her head more, trying to get her bangs to cover up her face.

Instantly Ino reached for Hinata's hand and gave it a light squeeze, hating the guilt that was tugging at her heart. She had to offer something.

'We can… we can at least be friends?'

* * *

_Deidara_

Questions… All those questions. As if Deidara didn't have enough of those on his own already. But these moments. These he hated the most. It was not fair to be questioned like this. It's not like he had planned this. He was simply born and then it happened. That was all he did.

He could understand their position though and didn't want to come off as some angry kid, but he was feeling attacked and Sasori was in no way sticking up for him. Maybe Sasori was actually happy someone was asking these questions. This way he didn't have to do it. Did Sasori wonder about these things too? Did he feel the same way they did or even worse?

'How did you even get two tattoos?' the first friend asked.

'Did you wish to have two soulmates and then it just happened?' the second pitched in.

'Are you greedy like that?' the third shot at him.

'Or did you simply want to be able to choose? So you could throw Sasori to the side when the other soulmate comes along?' the first one moved back in, glaring at him.

'Is Sasori not enough?'

* * *

_Kakashi_

After that one incident in the park Kakashi had avoided all of them. Walks would be taken over the street now and in areas where little kids should play outside. It had helped him avoid any kid, and one in particular, for years. He finally felt at ease again. Didn't start walking faster every time he heard a kid trying somewhere around the block he was in. Getting back up from that point had been difficult. Seeing Minato still felt the same way as when the little one was born. They had been good friends. Minato had always been there for him. And it all broke down so fast. Kakashi missed him…

But Gai was at least still around and spending time alone was also fine.

Going to the mall to get some new socks was something he did do by himself, because bringing Gai along would only have him go into stores he didn't want to go in. And eat things he didn't want to eat. Safer to do these things alone, so he would only spend money on socks and perhaps underwear.

He hadn't anticipated on some twerp running into him though and then shouting things at him, because it had clearly been Kakashi's fault. Slowly Kakashi looked around to look down at the little kid yelling all kinds of profanities at him and immediately his heart sank. It had been what? Five years again, so the kid must be around ten years now. He looked a lot like his father, but clearly had the temper of his mother.

After Kakashi had stayed quiet for a while Naruto finally cooled down too and looked at Kakashi rather confused. The slight narrow of Naruto's eyes made Kakashi worry. It was as if the kid knew just by looking at Kakashi that this would normally be such an important moment in their lives.

'Go home,' Kakashi instantly said, trying to avoid any kind of question Naruto might shoot his way. 'You're too young to be around here on your own.' And with that said he started walking away, but of course he wouldn't get the last word.

'You're not my mother! I can do whatever I want, jackass!'

Glancing back over his shoulder Kakashi shot the kid an unimpressed look. 'I can call your mother though. I bet Kushina would like to know where her son hangs out in the weekends.'

After the little scared sound leaving Naruto's mouth the obvious question came. One Kakashi would never answer and would ignore as he finally would get his socks. 'How do you know my mom?'

He bought grey socks with a black stripe at the top.

* * *

_Itachi_

High school had finally started for Itachi and it absorbed most of his time now. Which was welcomed, because every chance he had to think of something else, his mind would wonder to Sasuke. The fact that their parents had forbidden for them to spend much time together had caused them to want it more. They just wanted to figure things out. To understand why it was so wrong to want to be together. Still Itachi hadn't disobeyed. He had not sought Sasuke out and had left a room as soon as Sasuke entered it.

Not a way a teen should live his life, but there was no other way. Two brothers together was wrong.

Sasuke didn't have the same idea though. He was still young, free and perhaps a bit more of a rebel in a way. They shared the same curiosities, but Sasuke actually tried to find things out. Sasuke would ask their parents lots of questions and if they didn't want to answer, he would ask someone else.

The concept Sasuke didn't understand and Itachi actually also couldn't wrap his head around, was that if soulmates was this important to their society. It was that what practically made the world spin. Then why weren't they allowed to be together?

There was only one thing that Itachi did which was wrong. Once a week Sasuke would really show his rebellious ways and sneak out of his bed at night, only to crawl into Itachi's.

Itachi never kicked him out and simply held him through the night until Sasuke would sneak back into his bed around dawn.

* * *

_Obito_

Another lonely year had passed. But the idea that it would actually never change struck Obito. Before this he knew he had been waiting on someone, but now there was no one left to wait for.

Still strangely enough life had continued on. Obito had fallen back into his usual rhythm of working and hanging with friends over the weekend. It wasn't the same though. He didn't laugh as hard as he used to. Wasn't as motivated to work as hard as before. He had missed the promotion he had been aiming for, because he hadn't finished his work in time. He struggled still, even if it didn't immediately show on the surface.

The thing Obito did a lot of now was surfing the internet. Seeing if there were others that shared his story or other stories that also prevented them from being with their soulmate. It was probably nuts and Obito had definitely gotten addicted to reading all those sad stories. But it made him feel better, knowing he wasn't alone in this. And many people were enticed by this, finding sharing their stories on the internet exhilarating.

That's how he had made new friends or perhaps just pen pals. Someone to write to when he was feeling down.

And he loved hearing all their stories too.

…

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!

And because this a great way of promoting something... I am seriously obsessed with the soulmate AU idea and therefore have created an RP forum. You can fill out a sheet for a character you like. Can be canon Naruto, canon Attack on Titan, canon Free! or an OC. I will then use that information to give you a soulmate, perhaps with some of the troubles seen above, and then you can live out this life! Almost like a dating app, but not quite XD I would love for you to join, so please check it out ^^ Link below

forum/Soulmate-AU/156194/ - add fanfiction dot net before it

Love, Dana


	4. Chapter 4

_Sakura_

It had been nice living with a friend for a while. Ino wasn't the easiest to live with and having her boyfriend around didn't make the situation any better, but this was the safest she had felt in the longest time. Having people around made her feel comfortable and secure. Shikamaru might not be the strongest guy, but he was a man and Ino was a pretty strong woman as well. And they were there for her.

But at some point she knew it was time to go home. There was a point where you would be overstaying your stay and with how moody Ino had suddenly gotten it was better to leave. She didn't want to be the one to endure the woman's outbursts when Ino snapped.

Packing her stuff she went home with a heavy heart and a knot in her stomach. Getting off the boss it was only a block to walk. Soon her house came into view. It was very quiet outside, except for a few birds singing their songs, as she pressed the key inside the lock and went inside. As soon as she closed the front door behind her, she noticed something was off. There was no pile of mail behind it, as she had expected, but most of it was neatly placed on the small table in the hallway.

Continuing her road through the house she noticed other odd things. The dishwasher was filled with dirty dishes, magazines were strewn around on her coffee table and foreign shoes were placed beside the couch. But the strangest thing she saw was that the sheets were all messy on her bed and there was a firm imprint of a head on her pillow.

Someone had been staying in her house while she was gone.

* * *

_Nagato_

(hints of sex)

He really had no idea how it had happened. One minute they were just talking and the next… Yahiko's lips were so soft and sweet, even if there was some pressure behind it. The need to kiss forced into that one simple gesture. Nagato had never expected it. No matter how often they had seen each other and how often Konan and Yahiko had been fighting, he had always assumed Nagato was just the friend. But now, now things were looking up for him.

This opened so many possibilities. Like quickly taking your close off to create less of a barrier between the two of you. It wasn't a smart move and it was all just an act of desperation on Nagato's side, but Yahiko seemed to want it too. It's not like Nagato was alone in this. It wasn't Nagato who guided them both towards the bedroom, he wasn't the one that threw the sheets to the side to create room and it definitely wasn't him who took the last step, but oh how he loved it.

Maybe he did stand a chance. Maybe this was his forever after and not Konan's. Maybe, just maybe, Nagato could dream again.

* * *

_Gaara_

As rain steadily came down from the sky Gaara found himself relaxing on his living room couch, munching on some chips as the TV played some random show he probably shouldn't be watching. It was just one of those days you didn't want to be bothered with anything and with the way people had been getting on his case about how he had rejected his so called soulmate, Gaara needed a breather. Why did they care anyway? It's not like they knew the guy and they all knew Gaara never wanted to do anything with this whole soulmate crap anyway. It was all just very tiring.

But as the show went on and the evening got closer to night time Gaara was disturbed by the doorbell ringing. Who would come to visit him at this hour? Annoyed he made his way to the door and yanked it open, wanting this person to go away right now. Maybe it was just the pizza guy that had gotten the wrong house again.

Gaara had been very wrong though. It was not the pizza guy, but a very wet and very disgruntled looking long haired beauty that immediately shot a glare his way. Gaara felt the need to close the door right away and not deal with this, but the long haired man placed his hand against the door to prevent it from closing, to prevent Gaara from shutting him out like he had done last time. And then the man spoke, the deep voice bringing a shiver to Gaara's spine.

'I don't care if you do not have my name on your wrist. I don't care if you don't believe in this system. I will not leave until you show me some respect and give me a proper chance to see if this would work or not. It's not like you are waiting on anyone else and I believe you owe me that much.'

The man then simply stepped inside Gaara's home and pushed passed him, going into the living room and sitting down on the couch Gaara het previously occupied, dripping water all over his carpeted floor. Without a word Gaara simply grabbed a towel and placed it on top of the man's head.

* * *

_Suigetsu and Karin_

Their kitchen really held the best stories. Suigetsu often bragged to their friends about all the things happening there, but never mentioned the bad things that happened there as well. Not everything they experienced was great. Even if Suigetsu was crazy about Karin, there were many times they had fought inside the kitchen or where they had received bad news in. Today was one of those bad situations.

Suigetsu hadn't even noticed something was wrong when Karin first entered the kitchen. Paying attention to a new arrived magazine Suigetsu didn't notice anything in his surroundings. It wasn't until Karin stayed quiet and didn't start whining about him not paying attention to her that Suigetsu got confused. Looking up from his magazine and gazing at her didn't make his confusion any better.

Karin was a passionate woman, one with a big mouth and a bit of a temper, so seeing her quiet, head tilted down meant something was up. And this up was not good, not at all, but somehow Suigetsu felt himself afraid to ask. What could possibly be wrong now? They had moved everything off the table. No more houses, no more marriage, no more children, just them. Would another rejection have come in after they had decided that?

It wasn't until she spoke he realised it was far worse than that.

'I met him today,' she said softly, keeping her gaze focused on the counter. 'My soulmate.'

* * *

_Ino_

So they were friends now. Or at least Ino tried. She felt bad, she really did. Hinata was this amazing girl, perhaps a little shy, but sweet and too kind for her own good, and she deserved so much better than this. Introducing her to Shikamaru had been the oddest thing to do. He hadn't been too thrilled about it, but shrugged it off. It wasn't like Ino was his soulmate either. They both knew it may not happen in the long run, so Shikamaru wasn't too bothered by it.

It had mostly been Hinata that had gotten shyer. She had shaken Shikamaru's friend, but wouldn't look him in the eye and avoided every conversation he tried to get her involved in. She wasn't comfortable or perhaps actually hated the situation she was in and it only made Ino feel worse. This was all her fault or perhaps fate had messed this one up.

After that Ino only saw Hinata without Shikamaru present, getting together with her for lunch or catch a movie. And Hinata really seemed to be coming out of her shell. Smiling more often and actually sharing things about her family and work and the dreams she had. Hinata was really this amazing woman that worked hard and had overcome so much in her life. And then the next set back was her soulmate not wanting her.

Hinata deserved so much better.

* * *

_Deidara_

After the whole meeting with Sasori's friends, Deidara and he avoided each other a little bit. Sasori got more involved in his art pieces while Deidara focused more and more on work. The little business trip his company then offered was like a gift coming straight from heaven. Maybe that was what they needed. Some time away from each other and then see how it would be when he got back. It was only for a week, but that would be enough in Deidara's opinion.

So he got on the plane with a good feeling about this trip, already thinking about what it would be like when he got back. This would definitely work out.

What he hadn't expected though was running into someone at the hotel he was staying, bumping into him right at the check in desk. Broad shoulders rose up in front of him as he waited with his suitcase, the curse words the man used not going passed Deidara. This was a man with a big personality, inviting but hostile at the same time and perhaps also add a bit of an ego to that. Kind of like Deidara in a way. It was the name though that instantly caught Deidara's attention.

'Your name is Hidan?' he asked softly, trying to glance around the broad shoulders.

The man turned around slightly, gazing sharply at the shorter man and then this wide grin formed on thin lips. It was this instant moment of recognition. They didn't need to say anything else, introduce themselves or show off a little tattoo printed on their wrists. 'It's very nice to meet you, Deidara.'

* * *

_Kakashi_

After another five years Kakashi finally dared to visit some friends again or to be more precise, Gai had dragged him to a big yard party where lots of people were invited to. It was time to get out more and many people had asked him if he would come. Someone was turning thirty today, so it was a big event. Saying goodbye to their party years is what they called it. Even if Kakashi had turned thirty two years ago, he never had to say goodbye to those times. When had he ever really partied in his whole life?

Seeing so many familiar faces felt nice. Even if many of these people had once judged him for something he couldn't control, they were now coming up to him, giving him unwelcomed hugs and asked him how he's been. It was all really friendly and fake, but Kakashi actually liked it, being part of the group again. Not that he would be seen often after this, he at least knew they wouldn't shun him anymore, closing the door right in front of his face.

It wasn't until he accidentally bumped into Minato that he realised these were mutual friends. He was very civilized and didn't say anything rude, but the glare was enough to send Kakashi on his way. He would've fled the scene if Gai hadn't stopped him, dragging him in through the fence door and giving him another beer. Since no one really wanted him gone, except for now two adults at this party, Kakashi could just stay here and get drunk. It wasn't like he could get in more trouble than he already was, right?

'Cheers, Kakashi. To many other happy occasions that make us feel youthful again,' Gai toasted and Kakashi only replied by clinking his bottle against his friend's.

The next line spoken made his blood run cold. 'Your name is Kakashi Hatake?'

Never had Kakashi seen anyone been pushed away from his side as fast as the blond teen was by his parents.

* * *

_Itachi_

Right after high school was over Itachi moved out. Not because he necessarily wanted to, but because he thought it was best to stay away from his brother as much as possible. This idea was encouraged by his family and before he had even offered the idea, an apartment was rented out for him. Never had he been as alone as this.

Even if he and Sasuke hardly ever talked or had any contact at all, Itachi missed the boy like crazy. So to get his mind off of him, Itachi started dating. At first everyone who would say yes, going out with them for only a week and then dumping them, realising they would never be able to fill this hole Sasuke had left behind. But then he found someone that stuck around longer. His presence was comfortable and he wasn't pushy either. The guy had enough trouble with the soulmate system on his own. Having two names tattoos can't be easier than having your brother's name tattooed on your wrist.

It was Deidara that eventually changed everything. Deidara knew about Itachi's troubles, knew how Itachi felt strangely enough. Why Itachi had ever opened his mouth to the guy was a mystery, but it made him feel comfortable enough and Deidara would help him whenever he wanted to. They were both still very young and unexperienced and Itachi expected to be with Deidara for a while to come still. So he was very surprised when Deidara had run into one of his soulmates, but Itachi had let him go easily, feeling like it was the right thing to do and in return Deidara asked the right question, turning Itachi's whole life around.

As he was about to leave Itachi's apartment, Deidara turned around right before he opened the door. 'Why does it matter if he's your brother? There is a reason why you two are chosen to be together, just like there is a reason why I have two names. It's fate, it's meant to be this way. Even if it is hard to comprehend, who are we to deny ourselves the happiness we're looking for?' And with that said, Deidara left forever and all Itachi could think about was,

Yes, why does it matter?

* * *

_Obito_

Perhaps getting too involved into other people's problems wasn't the best idea and telling people they were stupid when choosing to follow their soulmate regardless of what they had done was not the smartest idea. But that didn't stop Obito from doing it anyway. These people needed to know that chasing after someone who wore someone else's name on their wrist was dumb. Or that sticking around someone that only wanted to be friends, because they weren't gay was insane. Or that living in constant fear of losing your soulmate, because they had two names was probably a very good idea. What were the chances of that person sticking around?

Sharing your bitterness on the internet was loved and hated at the same time. He had gotten so many hateful replies by now that Obito was numb to them. Even the ones that posted happy stories would get a reply that told them it would never last. Look at how many couples nowadays weren't even soulmates! What kind of stupid system was this anyway? Society should just open up more and let people decide for themselves who they wanted to love.

Maybe then Obito wouldn't be so heartbroken. Maybe then Obito would be able to let go. Maybe then Obito could finally place his pain on other people and finally let someone else in, because right now falling for someone else was not an option, even if he really wanted to feel loved at this point.

…

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!

And another moment for me to promote the forum I have started. We now have a few matches, so you can check out what it's like! If you still like the idea and you would like the join with a Naruto character, an Attack on titan character, a Free! character or an OC, then read the rules carefully, followed by the Main info and create a sheet! I'll start matching again when I have about 8 sheets!

fanfiction dot net + /forum/Soulmate-AU/156194/

Love, Dana


	5. Chapter 5

Some language up ahead! Not too bad though... Enjoy!

...

_Sakura_

After finding her house had been lived in it all was solved pretty easily. Immediately Sakura called the cops, who came to investigate right away. First only one car arrived in half an hour, but then another and another, because they found clear evidence of someone living in Sakura's house and with her previous reports of being stalked, they finally took her seriously.

It had been strange having all these people around, but they were there to comfort her and wait for the actual intruder to show up. Sakura had never actually seen his face, so had no clue who she was even waiting for. That had made this whole process so difficult before. The guy had never really approached her.

But then suddenly there he was. Briefcase under his arm as he fished "his" keys out of his pocket, ready to step right into… Sakura's house. It took a few minutes for him to realise that the lawn was filled with police officers, all stepping into his path to prevent him from continuing his way to the house.

The guy looked up, glancing confused at the many men around him, until his eyes landed on Sakura. This immediate bright smile formed on his lips and Sakura couldn't help but be disgusted by it. The strange bowl cut hairdo and the round eyes, much too big for his face. The tight green clothing didn't make it any better either. Sakura was simply appalled by the man and scared out of her mind to have him looking at her like that. So incredibly happy.

It wasn't until they arrived at the police station when Sakura finally understood why. When the man's file was pressed under her nose and she finally learned his name. _Rock Lee._ The same name that was tattooed on her wrist in this bold print that kind of matched the strange bowl cut hairdo the guy had.

* * *

_Nagato_

He had been a fool to think that this would be the good change in his life. The morning after had been awkward and Yahiko had avoided him like the plague, muttering about how it had all been a mistake. Nagato understood where Yahiko was coming from. Why it was all a mistake to him. But that didn't make it hurt any less. For Nagato Yahiko was the one. The one chosen for him. The one that would make him the happiest. For Yahiko Konan was chosen as that person.

But there had been a chance, a moment where even Yahiko had doubted if Konan was right for him, so of course Nagato had responded instantly. Desperately he still tried to cling onto this life he had once dreamed about.

After being almost kicked out of Yahiko's apartment did make Nagato finally realise it was over. Yahiko hadn't been rude about it, but with this gesture he had obviously chosen for Konan, as he should. Nagato understood, he really did.

That didn't mean it was nice to walk home in the rain, suddenly realising he forgot his umbrella at Yahiko's place. That didn't mean he felt happy to be home again in his own little flat, finding the emptiness comforting. The only thing it did mean was that he turned to the internet, to try and find answers. To understand on how to continue from this point on.

Yahiko might have chosen a path, but the one Nagato had planned out for so long already was kicked right from under his feet. So where to now?

* * *

_Gaara_

There were many things Gaara had expected from Neji. Asking the obvious questions on why he didn't have a tattoo or why he had shunned the man away right from the start. Perhaps also behaving a little love struck as soon as Gaara let him enter his apartment, because to Neji they were still soulmates.

Surprisingly none of this happened though. After Neji had dried of his face and long hair the man fell silent. Having taken Gaara's spot on the couch, he chose to sit on his loveseat, for one, instead. He wanted to keep as much distance between them as possible, just to be safe. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Neji was clenching his jaw, clearly very ticked off by something and when Gaara turned to look at him, he immediately received a heavy glare.

'You know you're a real asshole for leaving me standing there,' Neji accused, voice low and almost threatening. He then proceeded to clack his tongue and shake his head, averting his eyes to the TV that was still showing some mindless program.

This was all kind of amusing to Gaara. Never really had he expected for Neji to respond this way, to actually come here and be angry with Gaara. To lecture him about how he handled things. There was no love struck boy sitting on his couch. There was a man, sitting there because a tattoo told him they belonged together, and he clearly was as happy about it as Gaara was.

'I would do it the same way all over again if I had to,' Gaara muttered his reply, turning away once more to watch TV again as well.

'I know you would,' Neji replied in a sneer, making a smile tug at Gaara's lips. 'Asshole.'

* * *

_Suigetsu and Karin_

He hated this. He hated everything about this situation. Of course Suigetsu understood why this was happening and he really couldn't be too pissed off about it.

No, wait. Yes, he could. Why should he be happy about the fact that Karin's soulmate was sitting across from him at the kitchen table? Their sacred place in this house. Why should he be happy about the fact that Karin was sitting between them and occasionally leaning a little too close to the guy to Suigetsu's comfort? No, he was mad, furious even. Not a word had he uttered to the man, but that didn't stop him from talking. Neither did glaring or trying to kick him in the shins.

Suigetsu never even wanted to be in this situation, but he understood that Karin had wanted him to meet her soulmate. The one she was meant to be with. It was just that now everything became so real. Suigetsu now also got why the government had all these rules set up, only to exist for soulmates. Why they were given a hard time to even move on and have a life together. It was not because they disliked none soulmate couples. It was to protect them. It was to prevent them from making a huge mistake.

He saw it all now. How Karin laughed harder when the guy joked. How she was truly interested in what his life had been like and how he asked all the right questions about hers. How they instantly understood the other when all Suigetsu could do was guess. How Karin obviously started shining more and more the longer she was in his presence.

He saw it now. None soulmates were really not made to be together forever.

* * *

_Ino_

Of course she should've seen it coming, but it still came as a big surprise when Shikamaru had suddenly run into his soulmate. It had been a quick decision coming from his side. Since Ino had met hers already, he would simply move out right away and see what would become of his relationship with his soulmate. It all happened a little too fast. One minute they were still waking up next to each other and the next he had packed all his stuff and was out the door. Couldn't they have taken things slower? Ease into this new life?

Before she could even ask, Shikamaru was already gone.

It left Ino feeling empty and alone. Breaking up sucked, especially when you actually really liked someone. For her it had all worked somehow. But now she was sitting on the couch, watching some sad movie that gave her an excuse to cry, eating some chocolate ice cream that would supposedly make her feel better. All very cliché and it didn't really help at all.

The only thing that did help was having Hinata there beside her, hugging her when Ino needed it and shushing her when she started bawling again. It helped and Ino did feel better with Hinata around. They were soulmates, so Hinata just got her. Even if they were just friends.

* * *

_Deidara_

(hints of previous sex)

Waking up the next day was strange. Deidara had his back turned towards the man currently occupying his bed, sheets pulled up high to not show off his body again. The memory of last night was still fresh in his mind. It had all gone by in this weird blur, as if he had taken drugs or something. The evening had been… fun.

After work was over he and Hidan had met up, grabbed some food and drinks and had just gotten to know each other. They had mostly laughed a lot, but there was something else hanging in the air. This itch Deidara couldn't scratch. The heated glances Hidan shot his way didn't really help either. So as soon as they entered the hotel again and got onto the elevator, they kissed. Passionately. Deidara remembered latching his legs onto Hidan's hips and how Hidan had carried them into his hotel room.

Deidara had enjoyed the night, thoroughly, which may be a little embarrassing. But Hidan didn't seem to mind one bit. Which piece of furniture was actually still clean? And was it wrong to think that this was exactly what Deidara had needed for a long time? It was awful to think and he felt disgusting from it. He had cheated.

Fingers tapping away at the touch screen of a phone made Deidara slowly turn around, knowing Hidan was awake too. The man was just lounging there, wearing this careless smile on his lips as he was enjoying the conversation currently happening on his phone. Deidara took this moment to study Hidan, to really look at him and he instantly saw how beautiful this man really was. Muscular and strong, but with this careless attitude. He also had a big mouth, unafraid to tell anyone what he was currently thinking about. Quite the opposite of Sasori.

It was then that he noticed the little tattoo on Hidan's wrist. Letting his thumb slide over the black letters Deidara murmured the first thing that came to mind. 'Does he mind?'

'Who? Kakuzu?' Hidan asked, looking over at Deidara with this innocent expression right before it was replaced by this teasing grin as he held up his phone. 'Nah, he's questioning your intelligence already, because he was certain no other man could actually stand me.' He let out a chuckle as he shook his head, focusing on replying back to his other lover while muttering, 'bitch.'

It made Deidara smile, but only for a moment, because he was certain Sasori would not respond in the same laid back manner as Kakuzu obviously had done.

* * *

_Kakashi_

How to get rid of an obnoxious little blond teenaged boy? That was a question Kakashi had asked himself each day now ever since that party he had gone to. Biggest mistake of his life. He hadn't spoken to Naruto at all at the party since his parents had made sure the teen would stay inside and after that little incident, Kakashi actually left anyway. In his opinion it was better to avoid these things, so he had done just that.

But when he came out of work the following day he found this little blond brat sitting on his doorstep, dozing off against the brick wall as his portable gaming thing was playing this annoying tune, apparently lulling him to sleep. Quietly Kakashi had stepped around him and had gone inside before Naruto even woke up and eventually the teen left after a few more hours. Okay, actually after receiving an angry call from his mother.

That didn't stop the boy from returning the next day too and this time he was awake when Kakashi came home and it was difficult getting inside your house when you have this squirt asking you all these questions you didn't want to answer. This went on for weeks, Naruto waiting for Kakashi after school was over, Kakashi pushing his way passed Naruto to get inside his house and Naruto going home after waiting another hour or so.

Then the day came that Kakashi finally caved. It had been raining all day, drowning the streets in water and he was certain Naruto would not be sitting on his porch this time. But there he was, soaking wet, drenched right to his underwear. The kid hardly put up a fight this time, accepting Kakashi would blow him off anyway, so this time Kakashi left the door open as he went inside, finally granting Naruto the entrance he had been craving.

After Naruto had taken a shower and had put on some dry clothes, far too big for his still growing body, they were now sitting in silence in Kakashi's living room.

'You know you can't deny my existence,' Naruto suddenly spoke up, keeping his eyes down at the floor in a shy, but determined manner. 'Even if my parents always told me that having a soulmate wasn't that important and that I didn't need to find that person, I could tell how happy they were together. How the system as they call it had worked for them. I'm not stupid. So I know that you are my soulmate for a reason and I want to find out what that reason is. So stop pretending I don't exist already!' The last part was shouted out and Kakashi noticed how Naruto had his hands balled into fists, clearly trying to not explode even more.

It was hard to see the kid like this, because of course he was right and it pained Kakashi to actually see him like this. How many times had he not wished that it had never happened? That they weren't fated to be together. And he wished it right now too. Because it hurt too much and he couldn't keep it in anymore. So the first silent tears appeared in his eyes, slowly descending down his cheeks.

And they sat there in silence again. Naruto awkwardly trying to understand what was happening and Kakashi silently weeping for all the pain he had gone through all these years.

* * *

_Itachi_

Getting passed that point of not having it matter anymore was very difficult. Itachi still spent a few months alone, processing everything that he had been taught. Brothers together were wrong, yes. Not being together with your soulmate was also wrong. So which was the bigger evil of the two? How could Itachi make that decision so easily? He was barely twenty one years old, so making this life decision was not something he could just do, right?

Then why did he find himself on the doorstep to their parent's house in the middle of the day? What did he hope to accomplish here? Maybe no one was even home. They did work and Sasuke went to school still. High school now, right? How little did he really know about his brother's life? His family had of course pushed him out, but Itachi had only helped them by avoiding Sasuke. And he still remembered those big dark eyes staring at him with confusion and hurt, because he didn't understand and Itachi couldn't explain either, because he hardly knew what was going on.

Staring up at the house he had grown up in Itachi never noticed someone coming up behind him and sucked in a deep breath when two arms were wrapped around his waist, a forehead pushed up right between Itachi's shoulder blades as the other sucked in a deep breath. The height alone told Itachi enough and he instantly reached for Sasuke's hands currently wrapped together on Itachi's stomach, holding on so tight he made it hard for Itachi to breath.

'Welcome home,' Sasuke murmured, turning his head to the side and laying his cheek against Itachi's back instead.

'I can't stay,' Itachi muttered back.

'Home is where I am, not where this house is.'

'Then I can stay,' Itachi replied, letting Sasuke know that this would be their turning point. Itachi would acknowledge Sasuke as his home, as his lover, as his soulmate.

* * *

_Obito_

He had made a friend. A true friend. One that didn't entirely understand his pain, but one that had gone through his own sad story and instead of talking about it the whole time, they actually conversed about other things too. Obito got to know this person. What his likes were, what his dislikes were, and it made him feel better about himself. He found himself smiling occasionally, which had been very rare.

The best thing that came with this friendship was that Obito felt the need to go out again and do things. He wanted to be able to share things with his new friend. So to be able to share things, he had to experience things. Obito went back to work and took trips to the zoo and park and all these other places. Yes, he was confronted with many soulmate couples, but as long as he kept thinking about his new friend, that was something he could ignore. It wasn't about them and it wasn't about soulmates at all. It wasn't about how Rin had died years ago or how his friend got rejected so brutally. It was about friendship.

So when the time came that the other finally agreed to meeting each other, Obito was ecstatic. Maybe finally he would be able to pull himself out of this dark hole and actually live a little. The world shouldn't stop turning, just because someone lost their soulmate. It was not all what life was about. Life was about more and Obito was going to proof it.

…

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

A lot happens in this chapter 0.o Please enjoy!

Also wanted to give you guys a heads up that I will be going on a vacation next week. I might have time to do one more chapter before I go, but I can't guarantee it! And I'll be gone for about three weeks too. When I get back I'll try to post as soon as possible!

I also have a new poll up and I would be really happy if you guys voted! Thank you so much!

...

_Sakura_

She was furious. Storming into the interrogation room they had stuffed the guy in, Sakura stood there, staring at the strange looking man that was supposedly her soulmate. No, there was no question about it, but it felt good to add the supposedly now. Who could even come up with this? The guy stalking her was her soulmate?! This was absurd. Sakura couldn't wrap her mind around it. How could this even happen? What could someone be thinking that this was the right way to approach this situation?!

So she started yelling at him, screaming out all of her frustrations and eventually even scaring of the police officers that had been occupying the room as well.

'What the hell were you thinking stalking me like that? Do you have any idea how I have felt for the past few months? I've been so scared that I left my house and lived with a friend and as an answer to that, you start living in my house! Are you seriously that much of an idiot that you thought that was the right thing to do? Did you think that forcing this relationship on me in the most insane way would make me happy? Would make me want you? You make me sick, you disgusting little…'

And then she fell silent. Not because this man named Rock Lee seemed like he was about to cry. No, she didn't care about that one bit. Let him cry, let him feel the fear she had lived through for so long. She didn't finish the sentence, because even though this was the creepiest guy she had ever met, he was still her soulmate. And regardless of everything that had happened, Sakura believed in the system and couldn't turn her back on it now.

It stayed silent for a long time, until Rock Lee thought it was safe enough to speak up for the first time. 'In hindsight I might not have approached this the right way.'

Throwing herself to the floor Sakura didn't know if she wanted to laugh, cry or scream some more, just to get all these mixed feelings out. Eventually she chose to do them all at the same time. While crying she let out a short laugh and then harshly replied, 'you think?!'

…

_Nagato_

Never had Nagato thought that not being together with your soulmate was this unaccepted. That's not what his friends would call it, but they did look at him differently. Nagato couldn't explain what exactly had changed, but he didn't find as much comfort in these friendships as before.

At first nothing had changed when he explained to them that his soulmate didn't have Nagato's name on his wrist and of course they had responded confused and had question all of it. For a moment they even had Nagato doubting if Yahiko had simply removed the name or had hidden it effectively or something, because how couldn't Yahiko have Nagato's name on his wrist? That didn't make sense.

So they had supported Nagato hanging out with Yahiko, had encouraged him to get himself closer and closer and push Konan away. They had been rather mean about it, saying Nagato owed it to himself to push the girl away, as if this was all her fault.

It wasn't until Yahiko had really chosen for Konan that they suddenly rejected the whole idea. How could Nagato not have a soulmate? That just seemed wrong. Everyone had a soulmate. And then the gossips started. Nagato was possibly a broken human or perhaps there was something very wrong with him that made him unmatchable. That even the higher powers couldn't find anyone suited for him. It was hard to hear, but Nagato let every single word sink in, remembering them all, because he knew exactly which friends could stay and which had to go immediately. In the end he was left alone.

Only one person had been very supportive through this whole ordeal, even if his words could be a little harsh. At least he was honest and stood on Nagato's side, supporting all of his decisions and telling him he was better of without Yahiko in the first place. An internet friend he had only met recently. And then Nagato decided to be bold, because who wanted to stay internet friends when they were both so incredibly lonely?

'_Want to grab some coffee tomorrow?'_

…

_Gaara_

To his sister's delight it seemed getting rid of Neji was rather difficult and really Gaara had tried every possibly way to scare of the guy, but nothing had worked so far. Gaara had first ignored Neji completely when they would walk into each other somewhere. Gaara was very sure Neji made sure they would bump into each other, but Neji never confirmed these accusations. The next thing Gaara had tried was being utterly rude to Neji, making snide comments and insulting him in any way he could. He had even lied about disliking Neji's hair, because in reality it was Neji's best trait. Neji actually laughed off all these insults, shaking his head while simply walking along to Gaara's apartment until the redhead reluctantly let the brunet in.

Lastly Gaara tried being honest, just like he had been before. Telling Neji flat out that he didn't want the guy around. That this was never going to happen. And that the soulmate system was made up by the government to make profit of it. Yes, he did love those conspiracy theories. But Neji didn't care about all that. The guy wouldn't even really respond to it, clearly not taking Gaara serious at all. He would just stare, sometimes raising an eyebrow and sometimes clacking his tongue. It all depended on Neji's current mood.

And now Gaara found himself in a very odd situation. Neji stopped by more often now and would just hang out in Gaara's apartment, acting like he felt right at home, even if Gaara did anything in his power to prevent that. Sometimes Gaara caught Neji staring at him with this intense gaze and it stirred something awake inside of him. His heartbeat would rise and sometimes he felt like he was sweating all over and Neji would only look away again, seeming to not care at all and it only made it worse, because now Gaara was interested. Now Gaara wanted to know what Neji was even thinking at those moments.

And now Gaara wanted to know why he did not have a tattoo of Neji's name, if he really was broken and he had never asked himself that question before.

…

_Suigetsu and Karin_

A date.

Suigetsu had seen it coming, but when Karin eventually told him, it still felt like the ground was ripped right from under his feet and he would gladly sink down that hole to avoid this situation. Karin and her soulmate went on a date. It was the unthinkable. It was what they had joked about often, saying how weird that would even be, because they loved each other so much they couldn't even think about letting anyone else enter. Suigetsu still felt that way.

They had been gone for a while now and Suigetsu had purposely avoided the kitchen. It was a sacred place where they had shared things so special, Suigetsu couldn't let anything wrong enter there. Even if it had already happened when that soulmate had wiggled his way into their lives.

It didn't mean that Suigetsu didn't understand. He understood perfectly, but that didn't make it any better. It felt like his heart was ripped right out of his chest. He felt betrayed by the one he held so dear. Karin was his everything, always had been. The moment he laid eyes on her he was certain that she was the one and even when he learned her name, that didn't change a thing. She just had this special thing about her that Suigetsu couldn't resist.

About an hour later Karin came home, alone. Standing in the doorway, keys still in the lock, Karin had frozen in place.

There Suigetsu was, leaning against the back of the couch with his eyes averted to the ground. He couldn't meet her eyes, couldn't say this to her face. Some stuff was missing from around the living room, as from the bedroom and bathroom, now all safely tugged away in the three suitcases that stood before Suigetsu, ready to be taken away. He didn't need to say anything for Karin to know what was going to happen. Tears had already started falling from her eyes as she finally came back down to earth. She wanted to move towards him, but Suigetsu held his hand up and only said those three simple words.

'I'm leaving.'

…

_Ino_

At first Ino hadn't even realised it was happening, until she suddenly found herself alone a lot. Normally after a broken relationship Ino would jump right into the other man, but this time she had stayed single for some reason. She just didn't feel the need to find love so quickly again and had been enjoying her single life for a while. But then the one that did give her attention had started spending less time with her. In the beginning Hinata had been around every single day, either joining her for lunch or dinner and Ino did like her company a lot, so had always welcomed her with open arms. Hinata was the nicest friend Ino had ever had.

But then suddenly she only saw Hinata three times a week, often during lunch, which meant less time together. Now this didn't really bother Ino, because sometimes you just got busy and had less time to hang out. It happened and that was fine. It did start bothering Ino when Hinata had suddenly cancelled all their plans and she wouldn't see the girl at all that week. Why the sudden change?

Soon Ino would find out that Hinata was in fact seeing someone and she never had told Ino, supposedly because Ino had never asked. That was a lame excuse and unacceptable, but that didn't stop Hinata from continuing dating this guy. Kiba was his name and apparently he had a guy's name tattooed on his wrist, but wasn't really into men at all. Sounded very familiar to Ino and she couldn't really be mad about it. Still she was losing her friend to this guy and she wasn't happy at all.

Hinata was hers and she would stay hers.

…

_Deidara_

Coming home after that amazing business trip felt strange. Deidara had been living on this high the whole week, sharing special moments with Hidan that often reminded him of the beginning of his relationship with Sasori. Every second spend together was this amazing moment, letting you know that this was it for you. This was the person you are supposed to be with. And for Deidara there were indeed two of those people. The names hadn't lied.

But now reality kicked in again as Deidara got off the plane, feeling rather empty without Hidan by his side. They still lived in different states, so seeing each other wouldn't be very easy. He and Sasori never had that problem. They grew up in the same town and had even gone to the same high school, Sasori just a couple of years prior to Deidara, so they never had the chance to meet.

The cab drive home was spent in more silence, Deidara thinking about how to break the news. Nothing really could prepare him now though. And as Deidara entered their apartment, it was as if Sasori already knew. He was sitting in his room, right before a painting with his back towards the door. But his hands were in his lap, not one holding a brush, sliding it over the canvas to create a new masterpiece. He was still as Deidara stood in the doorway.

'I met Hidan.'

…

_Kakashi_

Now that Naruto had finally managed to enter Kakashi's life, he was not going to leave it anymore. This meant Kakashi had received multiple angry phone calls from his parents, yelling profanities at him he hadn't really deserved. Kakashi could deal with it now. As soon as he heard their familiar tone of voice, he would hang up without a second thought. Sometimes he wouldn't even answer the phone anymore since there wasn't really anyone who was interested in calling him anyway.

One time he regretted not picking up though, because it was Naruto who did so for him at that point. Never had he wished upon the boy to hear the things his parents or other kids' parents said to him, but on the other hand it was also a wakeup call for the teenager. Now he understood what Kakashi went through every day and even if it was awful and horrible what those people said, as soon as Kakashi would even think about touching Naruto at this age, he would be all those things they called him. The age gap was too big and Kakashi felt disgusted whenever someone even mentioned kissing Naruto. It was wrong. He would be taken a young boy's innocence. Naruto deserved better. Not an old man like him.

Still Naruto stuck around, even after Kakashi explained these things, even after Naruto had received strange looks from other people. The boy moved through life without a care and Kakashi admired it. He could learn from it. The only person that could judge you, was you and Naruto lived by that statement. He was also smarter than Kakashi had initially thought, spewing things a fifteen year old shouldn't even be thinking about.

'You know I think God knew how much you loved my dad, but he couldn't give him to you anymore since he was promised to my mom already. So to make it up to you he made me and because I am the perfected version of my dad, I think you can love me even more than you loved him.'

And all that was said while the boy was eating his third bowl of instant ramen.

…

_Itachi_

Actually pursuing this relationship seemed to be very difficult. Not because they didn't want to, because they wanted to. Sasuke sometimes a little too eager, but Itachi blamed it on the teenager's hormones. The biggest problem was going about it unnoticed. They had to sneak around their parents and around the other family members and to be sure the information wouldn't still reach their ears, they had to be sneaky everywhere. Except in the safety of Itachi's home. Getting Sasuke there was still difficult.

But when they were alone all that didn't matter anymore. They finally could spend time together and it was strange at first, because they had never really talked before and now, now they could share everything. Stupid things that had happened to them at school and sometimes deeper things, like how Sasuke's best friend had a soulmate who was a lot older than he was. And Itachi thought their age difference was big.

And as the evenings would progress, the lights would be dimmed, a movie would be put on and they would take seats so close to each other than their legs were interlocked. They hardly paid any attention to the movie, because these were the moments where they could share something else. Something that wasn't very brother like. Something that was possibly illegal in certain ways. And every time they did it, it felt like the first time all over again. A first kiss… Because Itachi wouldn't go further than that, even if Sasuke wished they would. As long as Sasuke was a minor, this would be enough for them.

But Itachi would kiss Sasuke and kiss and kiss, until there was no air in his lungs anymore, until his lips were so bruised he could hardly feel them anymore, until evenings had turned into nights and Sasuke was forced to spend the night.

…

_Obito_

Today was a special day, so Obito had made sure he had put on the best costume, or outfit was perhaps a better word. He had even bought some new clothes, just to make sure he would leave a good impression. For the first time in years he was actually feeling excited about something. Heart racing inside his chest, trying to push its way out. It felt great. Obito could honestly say that he was feeling alive again.

Rin had been an important part of his life and she always would. Even after her death she had played a role and now that role wouldn't disappear. Always would she be in the back of his mind, because she was his soulmate. She was the one who would've been perfect for him. But perfection was overrated and now the annoying things he noticed in people were actually beginning to be endearing to him. Obito didn't want perfection anymore.

Buying the most amazing flowers from the flower shop and then adding some chocolates to it too, he went on his way. It was all so silly, because this wasn't a date. They were simply meeting as friends, but Obito wanted to show his gratitude, because this friendship had been incredibly important to him. He was finally acting like a normal human being again and could move forward and he wanted this friend by his side for that.

Turning a corner his eyes instantly locked with the other person and he couldn't help but let the smile slip on his face. It felt foreign, but nice. It had been a long time since he had smiled this smile. Almost running the last few steps towards the café they had agreed on meeting, Obito halted right in front of his friend, already breathless from the excitement he was feeling. Dark eyes sparkled back at him when their eyes met again and he could feel the same energy buzzing through the other's body.

'Nice to finally meet you, Nagato,' Obito breathed out.

...

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!

Love, Dana


	7. Chapter 7

Back from vacation! This has things... Ino's bit is all her. No other people speaking there ^^

Enjoy!

...

_Sakura_

She decided not to press charges, because she couldn't. How could she put a restriction order on Lee's head when he was her soulmate?! Sakura didn't want him to be close to her at all and on the other hand she wanted to know who he was desperately. Why did this bigger power choose him to be her soulmate? What could be the reason that Lee fitted her best? It all didn't make sense to her. What was she supposed to do now?

Crying didn't really help, but regardless of that she did it often anyway. Every time she glanced down at the tattoo on her wrist, tears sprung to her eyes and she had to pinch herself hard to get the thought out of her head.

Rock Lee.

It almost seemed like a sick joke. Or perhaps some kind of weird test someone was playing on her. The worst part was that Lee didn't fully understand what he did wrong either. They were meant to be together and all he had done was get close to her and live with her. He understands that he should've perhaps mentioned something to her, but he had just slipped into this behaviour. Sakura was his everything.

And now… Now it had to be fixed. Lee was harmless, she could see that. He never would've touched her, let alone hurt her, but she still was terrified of him. Lee was still her stalker.

Sakura wished she could let the soulmate part go.

…

_Nagato_

Coffee, that was all this was. And yet they were both fingering the cups nervously, having barely touched the hot liquid. They probably shouldn't have ordered the cake. Nagato wasn't feeling hungry at all and at this point his stomach was doing too many flips to be able to take anything. This was just coffee.

It was strange how silent they both were right now. Through screens they talked on and on and if Nagato now looked at Obito, he didn't seem like the harsh type of guy at all. The way a smile kept tugging at his lips made him look friendly and not as cold as people called him on the internet. Of course Nagato knew Obito's story. He knew it word for word. Every little detail of every feeling the man had felt and for Obito it was the same. He knew everything about Nagato's soulmate. Even that he had slept with Yahiko. That seemed like such a long time ago now.

Yahiko was hardly a part of his life now. Nagato didn't even glance down at the tattoo anymore. Occasionally he would notice it, but the rest of the time it was ignored completely. Yahiko wasn't important anymore. Only a story of the past. Unlike Obito he didn't need this to be a part of his life now. It would only make things more difficult. Nagato would live for the here and now. Not for the past or for the future.

Glancing up at Obito again from across the little table Nagato let a smile grace his lips. "What do you think happens now?" he asked softly, making two black eyes move up to meet his gaze.

"Whatever you want to happen," Obito answered simply, as if it was the most logical answer he could think of.

This was just coffee, nothing more, nothing less.

…

_Gaara_

"I don't want to be here."

Slowly Neji turned his cold light stare towards Gaara, blinking his eyes once before simply looking away again. "I don't really care," he replied, grabbing Gaara by the arm and dragging him along towards the tall building in front of them.

Gaara couldn't even really remember how they had gotten into this situation. One minute they had been at Gaara's apartment, Neji having invited himself over again per usual, and they were having a conversation about a certain movie they were both interested in. It was odd enough Gaara was actually having conversations with someone, let alone be happy about it. Neji was an odd person. Gaara just didn't know how to handle it. The way he was easing himself into Gaara's life was unsettling. At this point it was as if the guy had always been around.

"Can't we just wait till the movie is out on DVD and then rip it off the internet?" Gaara said coolly, yanking his arm from Neji's hold.

The brunet was completely unfazed as he turned towards Gaara again, still having this blank stare on his face. "No," he replied flatly, leaving no room to argue. After grabbing Gaara's arm again, this time having a stronger hold, Neji explained why they couldn't wait. "When you rip it off the internet there is nothing romantic about it. Now you can actually take me out on a date." Gaara had to admit that Neji had come up with a great plan there, tricking Gaara right up until they had entered the cinema. Or maybe Gaara had known already, but had simply ignored it.

At this point it was almost as if Gaara did wear Neji's name on his wrist.

…

_Suigetsu_

You might say he was crazy for leaving and perhaps he was. Perhaps he should've fought harder for her, should've showed her how much he exactly loved her. But it wasn't that simple. In a world like this people knew what soulmates meant. Suigetsu could tell himself a million times that he didn't believe in the system, that it was rotten and that it should be forgotten already. But in reality he did believe in the system, even if he would not follow it. He saw how many times it had worked out. All of his friends were happy with their soulmates.

Karin deserved the same.

This would make her happier. This guy would be the perfect person for her and she would smile more often and would live an easier life. No more problems with buying her dream house, getting babies, growing old with someone. It would be wonderful and Suigetsu didn't wish anything less for her.

It didn't matter that it was painful for him. That was not what was important. Karin was important. Her life was more important than his. That was what he had realised the day she had gone on that date. It was why he had decided to leave. Karin hadn't fought him, but not because she didn't want to. She had wanted to scream and yell and slam his stuff back into the places it belonged. Suigetsu hadn't let her. He had left silently, only grabbing his suitcases, leaving his keys by the door. It felt so final the moment he closed the door.

Letting go was the hardest thing he had to do though. Moving on was not an option at this point. It was all too fresh. The need to text her was present almost every second. The want to call her and hear her voice came up at least every minute. Perhaps that was why he was now standing in front of the door to their apartment, unsure if he should even be here.

Maybe he shouldn't knock.

…

_Ino_

"Are you seeing him again? I hardly ever see you!"

"Wow, he does really smell like dogs, doesn't he?"

"He looks quite a lot at other girls, you know? Are you sure he's not cheating on you?"

"No, I am positive he flirted with me. Seriously he's such a jackass and you deserve better than that."

"Ew, I really don't need to know what you two do in the bedroom. Weren't you into girls anyway?"

"Oh no, I am not hanging out with dog breath."

"Oh my god, can you just stop talking about him for a second?"

"When are you going to dump him anyway? You had your fun."

"Weren't you supposed to be in love with me?"

Ino really was a bitch sometimes…

…

_Deidara_

Slowly Sasori stood up from his chair and took a step away from the canvas, but he kept his back turned towards Deidara. The way his shoulders hang low showed the defeat he was feeling. The pain that coursed through him as reality now hit him as well. This was what Sasori had feared all this time, Deidara knew this. To him it wasn't necessary. It wasn't as if Deidara only wanted one of them. He would not trade Sasori for Hidan now.

"Okay," Sasori said softly and then he started gathering his belongings from the room. All his brushes and paint were simply thrown into a big bag, creating more of a mess than actually filling it. "I'll try to be out of the flat by tomorrow."

It felt like Deidara was smacked right across the face, hard. That was it. Sasori would really give him up, just like that. "No," Deidara said in a sneer, actually forbidding Sasori of leaving. Not that the redhead was listening. The guy was now trying to stuff his back canvas into the bag and it would definitely not fit. "You are not leaving!" Deidara yelled out after that, making Sasori freeze up entirely. "If you think you can just walk out of here and leave me all alone, you are mistaken. You will stay and you will fucking love me, because that's what you're supposed to do." Tears sprung to Deidara's eyes as every emotion came rushing towards him. The anger, the pain and hurt, the sadness, all of it. "You can't just decide that you don't belong here anymore. I am the one with the two tattoos on my wrists, so I should be the one to decide and I want you to stay."

His reasons all didn't make much sense, but at this point he didn't care. He would lock Sasori into this room if that was the only thing to make him stay. But Sasori wasn't moving. He was just standing, staring down into the half-filled bag, paint staining the entire thing. It was then that Deidara noticed the shiver that lingered in Sasori's breathing and how his body seemed to tremble slightly. Carefully he made his way up to his lover and for the very first time he saw fresh tears running down Sasori's cheeks, leaving a silent trail of pain behind.

"I can't watch you leave me, so it has to be me who leaves," Sasori whispered, his muddy brown eyes not daring to look up at Deidara's face at all.

"What makes you think I even want to leave?"

"Because he will love you better than I will."

…

_Kakashi_

He still exactly remembered the moment it had happened. Naruto had come over after school again, having sneaked away a few minutes before classes ended, so he could escape his parents. They had decided to bring him to school and pick him up again when he was done, just so he couldn't hang out with Kakashi anymore. At first Kakashi had encouraged it, but after a week he had started feeling lonely and that was the moment Naruto had started skipping classes and such, to avoid his parents. They never did come to his house to pick him up.

It was during one of those days that they had been sitting at Kakashi's dinner table, spooning up some soup Kakashi had made for the evening. And they had just been sitting there, in silence, carefully scooping up the soup and stuffing it into their mouths without regarding its heat. One moment it was silent and the next Naruto was blurting out nonsense.

"You love me."

Raising an eyebrow at Naruto, Kakashi merely shook his head and started spooning up more of his soup, ignoring Naruto's comment completely. For a moment the teen looked a little annoyed, but then quickly continued on spewing things.

"It's the way you look at me. Your look has changed. I can tell."

A soft sigh left Kakashi's lips as he dropped the spoon beside his plate and moved a hand through his hair to take another moment to think about this. "You are fifteen, Naruto. I don't believe you really know what you're talking about," he replied, bracing himself for the argument he had just started.

To his surprise Naruto actually stayed silent, gazing up at Kakashi for a second before shyly averting his eyes. "It was worth a try. I know you wouldn't ever tell me you love me, so tricking you into saying it is really my only option." That was the moment, the exact moment Kakashi never thought would happen.

The moment he fell in love with Naruto.

…

_Itachi_

It was bound to happen. Itachi had been waiting on it. Their little bubble of safety, of love, had finally burst. He had hoped it wouldn't have happened this way though. It was strange to get a call from Sasuke's high school, since he was not his guardian or whatever, but when he heard the reason, his heart had stopped beating.

Classmates had found out about them. Someone who had been told about Sasuke's secret in confident had opened their big mouths and it had reached the big guys of the class. Usually Sasuke could handle the teasing. It's not like he wasn't used to it anyway. But when they started calling it disgusting and had said something about Itachi being a dirty pedo, Sasuke had snapped. He was at his limit. The boy who had said it had never seen the fist coming or the kick to his stomach and the knee in his groin. Sasuke had gone too far.

And now they were all called. The boy's parents, their parents and Itachi…

He didn't know what would happen now. Sasuke was still only sixteen and their parents could still forbid him things. Itachi on the other hand was now nineteen. He was an adult. That also meant they could charge him for his illegal actions and get him locked up. Perhaps it was better to be only sixteen and be the victim in this scenario.

When Itachi finally entered the principal's office, all the parents were already there. They were discussing what had happened already and of course their relationship had come up. Sasuke silently sat in the corner, balling his fist in anger whenever a comment was made that didn't sit well with him. The other kid looked rather bruised. Sasuke had gotten him good. And then Itachi caught the question people would ask them both a lot.

"How can these two even have a relationship with each other? They are brothers for goodness sake."

"Because we decided soulmates were more important than blood relations," Itachi replied, keeping his eyes fixated on Sasuke as he said it.

…

_Obito_

Coffee became lunch and lunch became dinner. It took some time to loosen up, but after it had happened, they had shared so many moments. The tone of their conversations was different now. Not once had they spoken of their soulmates or the lack thereof. On the internet it was all they ever really did talk about. This felt exhilarating and Obito didn't want the day to end. Yet it still did. Nagato went home and as soon as he turned the corner, Obito's smile vanished from his face.

The loneliness was gripping at his throat, begging for attention.

He started walking then, aimlessly. Nagato really was special, he thought. The way the guy could make his heart race again, make him feel important for the first time in his life. Obito never had a friend like that before. This was what he had missed all his life. Perhaps what he had been looking for in his soulmate, but he would never know if Rin would've made him feel the same.

Finding himself in front of her grave made him finally realise that. He had missed Rin, always had, but what was it exactly what he had missed? Obito had never known her, had no clue about what kind of person she really was. He had heard some stories, but nothing was experienced by him. The only thing he missed were the things he had dreamed of her, the things he had fantasized. But those things weren't true. It was all in his head. Nagato was here and that was what Obito needed right now. A friend that was present.

Obito only visited Rin's grave once a month after that.

…

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!

Can you feel the end nearing? I can... Stories are ending. I think I'll go for 10 chapters. That's like a nice round number.

Anyway! Go check out my tumblr blog dana-eliza. I turned that into a prompt blog now too, so I can share my ideas with the public ^^ You can take on the prompts if you'd like!

Love, Dana


	8. Chapter 8

Next chapter! And it's really going to be ten chapters. I have everything planned out now :D So only two more fridays and then it's all over T.T

Enjoy!

...

_Sakura_

Silence had settled between them. Maybe this was a big mistake. Maybe she should be running back home and lock the door, just to be sure he wouldn't get in. But that was not why she was here. Sakura had decided this on her own. This was something she had to do. Ino had called her nuts, but what did she know? As if that girl knew what she was doing with her soulmate. Pushing her away and then being mad when the other actually did. Sakura wouldn't do that. It didn't work like that. Soulmates were there for a reason.

And she kept telling herself that as she watched Lee move across from her, fidgeting slightly in his seat.

This was uncomfortable and it would be like that for a very long time to come, but eventually everything would turn out better, right? This was meant to be. This was her future. This man with his bowl cut hairdo and his tight green jeans that were wrong in so many ways. His big round eyes did nothing for his face either. Sakura had dated far handsomer men, but looks weren't everything either. She had to look beyond that and give this guy a fair chance.

'So besides stalking me, what else do you do in life?'

* * *

_Nagato_

He shouldn't have done that. He should not have done that.

Obito and he had been meeting up almost every day now, which may be a little odd, but their friendship had grown so strong and they didn't really have anyone else either. So they went to the movies or went out for lunch. Sometimes they only went to the bar for a drink and then ended up so drunk that one stayed over at the other's place. Nagato would then wake up to Obito making him breakfast and they would laugh the morning away until it was time to part again.

Nagato could feel his heart swell whenever Obito was close. It was just nice to have someone like him around. Especially after all the shit he had been through with Yahiko. This was such a welcoming change and he was happy, really happy.

However that didn't mean it was time to see Obito in a different daylight. It was absurd to even think like that. That also didn't mean Nagato could think of their dinner together to be something similar to a date, nor order an extra bottle of wine to set the mood. This also didn't mean that when Obito offered to walk him home that this had a double meaning.

And this definitely didn't mean that it was okay for Nagato to kiss Obito goodnight right on his doorstep.

* * *

_Gaara_

Some would call him stupid and some would call him brave, but the ones who actually knew Gaara were simply confused. This wasn't really like him, he knew that, but something in him urged him to go here. No harm could be done and he was simply curious. That's what he kept on telling himself as he entered the building and took a seat in the waiting area. Really, what could go wrong?

Yes, they could tell him that he really was broken or that Neji's tattoo was simply a mistake. That it was all in his head and that Neji wasn't really falling for him. That was his realistic point of view on this. Gaara still didn't have a tattoo, so this all didn't make sense anyway. It should mean he was meant to be left alone and live his life in solitude. Neji had been very angry when Gaara had mentioned it to him. Which perhaps was quite understandable.

But now he was seeking help all by himself. No one even knew he was here today and depending on the outcome no one would ever find out either. This was something Gaara had to do by himself.

So when the doctor opened the door and shot Gaara a welcoming smile, he told himself he was ready. Sitting down on the soft chair by a cherry wooden desk Gaara started explaining what was going on, in only a few words of course. But the doctor had heard enough and probably said the exact right thing.

'Soulmate or not, I think the only thing that matters is how you feel about Neji.'

* * *

_Suigetsu_

He knocked.

This must've been the hardest thing he had ever done, after actually leaving Karin. But now knocking on what used to be their front door was definitely not easy. Regardless he had done it, because returning back home without even seeing her was just not worth it. He needed to see her. Needed to be sure that this was exactly what she wanted.

All different kinds of scenarios already rose up in his mind. What if the soulmate actually opened the door, immediately letting Suigetsu know that he was living here and that he was here to stay. And then they would have the most awkward conversation and eventually Suigetsu would leave without even seeing Karin.

Another possibility was that there was no one home and that Suigetsu would eventually return home without getting anywhere. He could leave a note and that would be ignored, because what did a note really mean.

The last thing that could happen was that Karin did open the door and that Suigetsu would see her beautiful face again, but that face would soon retort into annoyance or anger and she would send him off, force him to leave with harsh words, telling him she didn't want him anymore and that she had found the love of her life in someone else.

With all these scenarios in mind Suigetsu heard the shuffling of feet inside, moving towards the door. One possibility could already be dropped now. Who would open the door? He sucked in a deep breath as the key turned in the lock. His heart started racing when the door slowly started to open and then his eyes widened when the person behind it appeared in the doorway.

The tears streaming down her face were enough for Suigetsu to immediately pull her in a hug.

* * *

_Ino_

It took her a long time before Ino finally realised what she had been doing or why she had been doing it. This didn't mean she was happy about this resolve. It only further complicated things and what was she supposed to do now?

Yes, Ino was trying to break Hinata and her boyfriend up. Yes, this was because Ino really missed spending time with Hinata. Yes, she did this because as her soulmate Hinata knew exactly what was going on with Ino and knew exactly what she needed to say. Yes, Ino did also realise that she had actually fallen for Hinata and that she wanted to be with Hinata in a romantic way. Yes, Ino also knew that she quite possibly had missed her chance and that she had ruined everything before it had even started.

So even if she knew all this, Ino had kept it to herself. It was better to just hold her tongue and watch Hinata be happy with this guy. And those two did have fun. The guy made her laugh, Ino saw that. In a way they fitted together. Or maybe Ino just thought that, because she was the outsider looking in. She wanted Hinata to be happy and for them to fit better together then she would've with Ino.

Too bad that secrets sometimes get so high up in your throat that you can't keep them in anymore. It was when Hinata was over at Ino's place for the first time in weeks and they had been watching a movie together, though Ino had hardly seen any of it. Her mind kept on going back to Hinata and how miserable she really was in this situation. She realised how mean it was of her to offer to be Hinata's friend instead all those months ago. How selfish of her it all had been and how she didn't want to suffer through the same thing.

With eyes fixated on the screen in front of her tears slowly started to slip down and in a hushed voice she eventually spoke. 'I love you.'

* * *

_Deidara_

Sasori had never seen it coming and Deidara never even thought he would have it in him, but he slapped Sasori right across the face. The room went completely silent as they both let the gesture sink in and immediately Deidara felt horrible for doing what he did, but Sasori's last sentence had cut him deep.

Sinking down through his knees Deidara sat before Sasori, eyes wide with confusion, pain and regret. 'I'm sorry,' he breathed out, grabbing the sleeve of Sasori's sweatshirt to make sure he was still there. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that.' Sasori never said anything back, but just stood there in front of Deidara, unsure on what to do. And then Sasori's words came rushing back, taking the overhand in Deidara's messed up thoughts. 'But you can't say that he will love me better,' he gritted out, tugging at Sasori's sleeve to make him come closer. 'No one will love me better than you,' he added, giving another harsh tug. 'No one can do anything better than you.' This one made Sasori join him on the floor, kneeling before him. Their foreheads almost touched. 'If you leave me know you will break my heart. I need you.' His voice was trembling and he was fighting hard against the tears to stop them from falling.

'Why do you need two people then?'

Deidara then grabbed Sasori by the collar, pulling him close and then pushing his lips harshly against his soulmate's. 'Because I'm a selfish jerk who is never satisfied.' A soft hand started wiping the tears from Deidara's cheeks. Muddy brown eyes met glistening blue ones then and Sasori said something Deidara hadn't expected.

'I want to meet him.'

* * *

_Kakashi_

It was funny how fast the years would pass by. Kakashi was already 35 years old and was often referred to as an old grumpy man by Naruto. Not a very flattering comment, but Kakashi would just ignore it and retaliate with a comment about Naruto being a childish little brat. Yes, Kakashi did think he was a very mature person, but sometimes he was not. Mostly around Naruto he was like that though. As if he child inside of him would jump out right when Naruto came to hang out with him.

It was nice though, to have to the kid around and just play video games or talk about people Kakashi didn't even know. Naruto was quite the gossiper, even if he always did deny it. Mostly he spoke of other people's their soulmates though and what kind of problems they had. Mostly about how insignificant they were in comparison to their own. Naruto did fully understand their situation now and how they will always have people looking at them funnily. But Naruto wasn't one to run, unlike Kakashi and now he was here to stay.

Today it was Saturday and now some years had passed, Naruto's parents realised they couldn't keep Naruto away from Kakashi anymore and soon they wouldn't even have the right to anymore. Because in only a few more weeks Naruto would finally turn eighteen, which was a strange thought. Naruto would be legal then. This still didn't sit well with Kakashi. He had always seen Naruto as forbidden territory, so that wasn't going to change, just because he was suddenly of age.

Of course that was something Naruto could not wrap his mind around and would simply ignore. Every time Kakashi brought up the subject of what Naruto wanted for his birthday he received the same reply. 'There is only one thing I want and that is my first kiss from you on my birthday. You can decide when you give it to me, as long as it is in that 24 hour range.' After hearing that line ten times Kakashi had enough and gave in.

'Fine, but I am not getting you anything else then.'

Naruto couldn't be happier with that answer.

* * *

_Itachi_

Eventually the principal let the whole idea of two brothers being in a relationship slide, because that was not the reason they had been there. Sasuke had fought with a boy and now would suffer the consequences for that. Suspended for a week and a lot of cleaning duty once he went back to school. The other boy got the same treatment though and that made Itachi respect the guy a little more. He would only focus on this problem and noticed the soulmate relationship was indeed not that wrong. If Itachi had been forcing Sasuke, then it would be a different story. Then the principal should've locked him up somewhere far far away.

Now the brothers had to deal with their parents though, because they had not known anything about their relationship until now. But they still couldn't force Itachi to listen to them or ride back home with them in their car. He had brought his car, so that would be very inconvenient and he rather not sit half an hour in silence, seeing the anger slip on their father's face.

So he refused and therefore Sasuke refused as well, saying he would ride back with Itachi instead and that only further complicated things. Someone threatened with calling the cops on Itachi and other things were said out of anger and frustration, because this was difficult to deal with for everyone. So many times had Itachi wished that it wasn't Sasuke, but now, now he wouldn't want to trade Sasuke for anything in the world.

It was eventually his little brother who silenced everyone.

'Will you all just shut up!' Sasuke had stepped between Itachi and their parents, directing his glare right at the people that had raised him all these years. 'You have no right to do any of that. You can't get Itachi arrested for something he didn't do. He doesn't force me, he hardly ever touches me and you should be happy it's him, because no one in this world would care more about my wellbeing. The tattoos are there if you like it or not and it perfectly portrays how we feel about each other. We are soulmates and I would think you would understand what that feels like. So this relationship stays and if you will forbid anything regarding it, I will fight you every step of the way.'

* * *

_Obito_

Only a few seconds later did they break apart. Obito's eyes had widened significantly as he stared back at Nagato, feeling utterly confused. Maybe he was a little dense and maybe he should've seen the signs, but this was something he hadn't expected. But he could still feel Nagato's soft lips lingering on his own, this question in it, asking if it was okay. Was it okay?

Silence crept between them as Nagato stood in the doorway and Obito across from him. Their eyes were averted to the ground, thinking their separate things about what just happened. Nagato then quickly squeaked out a 'goodnight' and vanished inside his house, closing the door behind him immediately. He never waited on an answer, to either of those things and Obito still kind of wanted to answer, both of those things. But wasn't sure what to say. What did he think? What did he feel?

Standing in front of Nagato's dark red front door Obito tried to figure it out. Tried to understand why Nagato had felt the need to say goodbye like that. The whole evening came rushing back and he could see the hints. Could see why Nagato would come to these conclusions. Maybe it was right or maybe it would know ruin the beautiful friendship they had. Could they go passed this if they would just stay friends? He wasn't sure of anything, except for one thing.

He would like to try and kiss Nagato again.

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, this is the longest chapter yet! Some of the stories are a little longer than usual, except for the very last one ;) Next chapter is definitely the last!

Enjoy!

...

_Sakura_

Months had passed already, but nothing much had changed about how Sakura felt about Lee. Perhaps she did see more often how nice he was and how good he could be to her, but stepping over that fear was just too difficult. Imagining waking up next to him still scared her, so how would their relationship ever progress if they would take that step? It just didn't seem possible and Sakura was about to give up hope. Tell Lee he should just go home and forget about all this, but she knew it would break his heart and she couldn't do that yet.

And now it was her birthday. All her friends were around, reminiscing together about high school days and what all that had been like. It was nice to see so many of them happy now. It had taken them all a long time and some still dealt with judgements, but at least they had found their soulmate. Even Sasuke, whom she had a crush on somewhere in high school. Oh, how futile that one had been.

Surprisingly enough Lee fitted in right away. He was the perfect gentleman, making sure everyone had something to drink and filled up the snacks whenever the bowls were empty. Sakura found herself smiling at him, but immediately caught herself when he glanced back. It was still her stalker. No matter how hard she tried to forget it, he was still just that. The one who had scared her right out of her own house.

Her mind got distracted again when it was time to unwrap the gifts people had brought for her. Many things passed by. From clothes to a new vase that wouldn't fit anywhere in her house. There were also enough flowers to decorate her entire house with and the biggest bouquet of course came from Lee, who had picked out the flowers himself. It made a mess of it really, but it was a sweet gesture.

Thinking she had received everything now Sakura was about to set everything aside, but then, pushing himself through the group, Lee came with a big box wrapped in green paper and a big red bow on top of it, giving it a strange sort of Christmas feeling. She had not expected more, but gladly took it, very curious to what this might be. As she started taking the paper of and opened the box, Lee started explaining himself, looking rather uncomfortable for some reason.

'I remembered from a previous conversation that you, uh, complained about how the stuff you get from the hospital weren't really great and so I went by some specialist and bought your own equipment, so you don't have to use someone else's anymore…'

The box was filled with things she sometimes needed regularly, but also things she only used once a month and now it was all hers. She had indeed complained, but knew how expensive it was to buy it on your own. With a hand posed over her mouth she covered her trembling lip. She couldn't accept this, could she? It was too much. But the happy smile on Lee's face made Sakura take it anyway.

Slowly she rose from her seat and placed the box to the side. One stride forward she wrapped her arms around Lee's shoulders, hugging him close as she murmured thank you over and over again. He was stunned at first, but eagerly hugged her back, keeping her as close as he could.

This, this was what a good boyfriend did.

* * *

_Nagato_

Meeting now always felt a little odd. Something had changed and Nagato wasn't sure if he should stay away or should keep coming over and over again. Obito wasn't giving any clear signs, but this was new to them both. They still wanted to hang out together, relish in those happy moments the other brought. But they hadn't spoken of the kiss. It had been pushed aside. Though other things had occurred since then. Holding hands happened more frequently, though mostly when they were inside the house. And the hugs they gave each other as they parted always lingered a little too long, seeming to be an invitation for something more.

This was all Nagato could think about now as they walked down the street towards a restaurant to have dinner. Their hands kept brushing together along the way, but Nagato somehow didn't dare grab his hand and actually hold it. This wasn't a date, he kept telling himself. They were just friends.

'Hey, Nagato.'

The greeting had come out of nowhere and quickly he snapped his head up, staring into dark brown eyes and a happy smile he hadn't seen in a very long time. 'Yahiko,' he breathed out. The body next to him visibly stiffened and for a moment Nagato glanced Obito's way, but his face was emotionless as he stared up at Yahiko. 'What brings you here?'

'Oh!' Casually scratching behind his head Yahiko actually made the mood more awkward than it needed to be. 'Uh, well I'm moving here, with, uh, Konan.' It shouldn't come as a surprise, but it did still sting. Konan… Strangely enough it didn't hurt as much as it would've before. It was just this faint numbness. Like that could've been me, but it's okay that it isn't. 'So why are you here?' His eyes flickered to Obito for a second and Nagato's eyes followed with him.

Immediately a small smile formed on his lips, because he wasn't alone this time. He had someone to rely on, who would even punch Yahiko in the face if he wanted it to happen. Feeling a little more confident, but on the other hand also very scared Nagato slowly reached for Obito's hand and grasped it tightly, giving it a light squeeze as a reassurance. It was now or never, right? Take the leap.

'I'm going on a date. With my boyfriend, Obito.'

* * *

_Gaara_

They were kissing, because that was what boyfriends did, frequently. In the kitchen, on the couch, in the bedroom. At some point Gaara couldn't even keep track anymore. Once he had given Neji the approval to kiss him it was as if the whole world changed and honestly he wasn't even sure who took the initiative all the time. It just happened and… it was nice.

Lips moving against each other in sync, a tongue that came out to play and then the hands. One minute they were on his hips and the next he couldn't even follow them anymore. They had crossed a line, a big one and Gaara hadn't even seen it happening. Neji never mentioned it anyway. He was always so casual about it and just let it come over him. Perhaps he was afraid that when he said something, Gaara would run and he couldn't really hold that against the guy. Gaara had said often enough it wasn't going to work and on some level it must've had some effect. He did tell himself sometimes that this wasn't real. That he wasn't mean to be in a relationship. But Gaara couldn't run anymore. He really did like Neji…

Finally the kiss was broken to give them a breathing moment, Neji hovering over Gaara as they laid on the couch. A hand was pushing its way under Gaara's shirt and their legs were tangled together. Neji was about to dive in again when Gaara finally decided to speak up and say something.

'Does it bother you?' He didn't have to add the fact that it was about his tattoo or the lack thereof.

Slowly Neji pushed himself backwards until his back hit the armrest of the couch. Gaara scooted himself up until he was in a sitting position as well and from those points they stared at each other. At first Neji's gaze seemed stoic and empty, but then as he let the question sink in further he finally answered. 'Yes…' Gaara knew it. Knew that this would be what stood between them. But then Neji continued, adding something else to it. '…And no.' Taking a deep breath Neji settled himself more comfortable against the back rest, preparing for this conversation. 'You see now if I am able to make you fall for me it would be more of an accomplishment. It would've been me you fell for and not just because a name written on your wrist tells you to. Yes, it does trouble me that you might leave me at some point, claiming you don't belong with me. But I also like the fact that it's different. I have to work for it.' His eyes had flickered away, but the soft smile on his lips made Gaara's heart melt a little.

But responding to something like that was difficult and Gaara found himself lacking the words, until one line suddenly tumbled of his lips, surprising both himself and Neji equally.

'I think I love you.'

* * *

_Suigetsu and Karin_

After the hug was finally broken the first thing Suigetsu received was a harsh slap in the face and then Karin stomped into her apartment, leaving the door open for Suigetsu to enter as well. The place was a mess he noticed immediately as he stepped inside, rubbing the bright red spot on his cheek. Karin had moved towards the couch and was fluffing up a pillow a little too aggressively. Suigetsu heard the tearing of the seam, but it fortunately didn't break.

Her fiery gaze suddenly snapped to him and she took in his entire form, squinting her eyes as her eyes moved towards his feet. 'Where the hell are your suitcases?' she spat as if it was the most absurd thing he hadn't brought them with him. 'How the hell are you going to move back in without your shit, Suigetsu?'

He wasn't sure what was going on or what Karin even was thinking, but the fact she expected he was moving back in was rather odd. Stepping a little closer to her he placed a hand on the small of her back as a soothing gesture and she did seem to relax a little, though it also meant a fresh stream of tears were slowly descending down on her cheeks. 'Where's your guy?' Suigetsu asked with raised eyebrows, perhaps coming off a bit too harsh, but Karin had a soulmate, so why should he move back in?

'Gone!' Karin yelled in his face, anger back in her eyes, but the tears kept spilling. 'Why would I want that asshole around when you are gone? I don't need him. I don't want him. I want you, you idiot. And you, you… promised me that you would stay. You promised that we would be together forever, no matter if we would meet our soulmates.' Her voice got softer and softer as she spoke, the anger dissipating and making place for hurt and grief. 'You promised me that we would grow old together and buy that house out in the fields, so we could have kids that run around and play in the mud. You promised we would be forever happy together.' She sank through her knees then, her hands sliding over his torso down until she hit the ground.

And Suigetsu sank right down with her, embracing her once again in a hug and slowly rocking her back and forth.

'I'm sorry,' he muttered. 'I'll never leave again, I promise.'

* * *

_Ino_

It seemed that night her words had been completely ignored. Hinata had stiffened a little beside her, but her eyes had stayed fixed on the screen and soon the words had just died in the air. It didn't make things better at all, because now Ino had finally said something and it indeed didn't matter anymore. Her chance was over. Hinata would stay with Kiba and Ino would be forever miserable, because that was the type of drama queen she was. Who would make her happy now?

Now she hardly ever saw Hinata anymore, because it was just too painful. Every meeting they had planned Ino had cancelled and had spent in her apartment, stuffing her face with foods she probably shouldn't be eating. It was better this way. Just meant your broken heart and then get right back up that horse and ride into the dating life or whatever. She wasn't that great with metaphors.

It was one of those days now as well, spend on the couch, stuffing her face with chocolate ice-cream while watching some dumb romantic comedy she had seen a million times already. Was it making her feel better? No. Did she care? Not really. The text that came in next came as a surprise and only ruined her mood even more.

_I just broke up with Kiba. Can you come over?_

So she can be the one to pick up the pieces? Too bad Ino was still a good friend and her friend needed support now, goddamnit. She hoisted herself off the couch in a not very flattering way, stuffed the ice-cream tub back into the freezer and went on her way. Screw make-up and a nice outfit. She was going to be doing the same damn thing anyway. Sit on a couch and listen to Hinata cry over some asshole.

This was in no way fair. Hinata had heard Ino's confession and knew what this would do to her now! Why would she feel sorry for Hinata? The closer she got to Hinata's apartment, the angrier she got. Ino was going to give Hinata a piece of her mind. Ringing the doorbell Ino had prepared herself for this conversation. She had even come up with the perfect line to say to Hinata. So when the door opened and Hinata stuck her face through Ino hardly noticed the smile on Hinata's lips, nor the fact there had been a lack of crying.

'You know it's a real bitch move to ask me over and come here to support you through your break-up! Like I give a shit!'

She wanted to say more, but then Hinata opened the door further with this surprised look on her face, not saying a word about Ino's outburst. And when Ino finally looked inside, she saw the whole room was lit up by candles and there were rose petals strewn on the ground, forming a path to somewhere she couldn't see yet.

Hinata had broken up with Kiba, not the other way around.

* * *

_Deidara_

Everyone said it was a stupid idea to go on a double date with both your soulmates and Deidara had been part of that group as well. He had never expected it would work out and had prepared for fights to come. One accusing the other of something and then yelling profanities at each other that weren't necessary at all. Really how could this not happen when two soulmates were sort of competing against each other?

Hidan had immediately said yes to the invite and said Kakuzu was coming along as well, which made Deidara's stomach flutter a little. They hadn't met yet either. Kakuzu did take it better than Sasori did, but how would he act on this meeting?

A week later they met in a restaurant. The greeting was a little awkward since Hidan immediately dove in for a passionate kiss, which Deidara awkwardly broke apart and then sent an apologetic smile Sasori's way, but his attention wasn't on them. He was looking straight at Kakuzu with curious eyes and a question lingering on his tongue. The man wasn't paying attention to any of them, but was simply grumbling things to himself as he flipped through his wallet, clearly annoyed with something.

'How do you deal with it?' Sasori shot his way, pulling green eyes up from the money in his hand.

Another annoyed glance was now moved towards Hidan, showing Kakuzu was clearly not happy about either the question or Hidan in particular. 'It really is simple,' he started explaining, Kakuzu's gaze softening as he glanced back at the much shorter male before him. 'The guy's appetite for sex is enormous and I can hardly satisfy him. With another soulmate in the picture I know he will doing much better and can be sure he won't cheat on me with people I don't know of.'

'I see,' Sasori muttered in reply, glancing over at Hidan first, who was wearing a big innocent grin, and then moving towards Deidara. 'He will give you sex.'

And that was his final statement on the matter, walking away from the group to move towards their table. Deidara was at a loss of words and felt a big blush creeping up, because he was not a sex maniac as Hidan apparently was. Quickly he followed after, shouting out all these half explanations. 'It's not like… he's not just… Sasori!' But his soulmate only grinned at him, showing off his acceptance that way, with only a few words added after.

'I love you, Dei.'

* * *

_Kakashi_

Birthdays… Why did they need to celebrate them again? And why was this currently happening in his house with a bunch of teenaged brats he didn't even want to know? Naruto really had outdone himself. When had he even arranged all this? Maybe Kakashi should pay more attention to what the kid actually says on the phone, because this was not cool. The worst part was that Gai was supposed to be supervising and he was actually joining the idiots and making even more of a mess of his house. Who was going to clean this crap?

Then there was also the fact that Naruto kept shooting him these strange glances. Kakashi would say he was drunk, but he was certain there was no drop of alcohol in the house. He would not have drunk teens on his lawn and get the cops called on his ass. No way. So maybe it was Naruto's way of trying to seduce Kakashi from across the room, but it really only made Kakashi uncomfortable. That was not how you tried to get someone to kiss you, definitely not.

Needing some peace and quiet Kakashi stumbled towards his bedroom, trying to step over empty cups and … people? What the hell were they all doing? Spin the bottle in the middle of the room? How old were these kids?

Finally he made it there. Closing the door behind him Kakashi let out a deep sigh and let his eyes get used to the darkness around, which was not a good thing at this point. Why you might ask? Because there were two teens in his bed, doing things only he was supposed to be doing in that bed. How old were these kids?! They were just giving him awkward looks, but were not moving one bit from their place and honestly, Kakashi did not want to see them naked. That would definitely end in a lawsuit.

So with a disgusted look on his face he left again and tripped right into two inviting arms and felt clumsy soft lips pressed against his own out of nowhere. It was just a split second and they had left again, making Kakashi stare down in two bright blue eyes looking a little shy.

'Sorry, I know I said you could decide when you gave it to me, but it's almost midnight and you've been avoiding me all evening and I just didn't know what to do anymore, so…'

And then Kakashi kissed Naruto. Carefully he cupped the teen's cheek and cocked his head up slightly to invite himself to Naruto's incredibly soft lips. A soft kiss at first that soon turned more passionate and desperate as Kakashi pressed Naruto against the side wall of the hallway, hidden away from any onlookers. This was what Naruto had wanted for so long already and what Kakashi now really wanted as well, because it was Naruto. Who was responsible and wouldn't do stupid things like play spin the bottle in the living room or do other things in his bedroom. Naruto was smart and kind, confident and polite. Naruto was precious.

God, did he love the kid.

* * *

_Itachi_

Why did he have to be dragged out here at the break of dawn? Because their parents had sort of accepted their relationship and now it was up to Itachi to make sure his little brother actually made it home safely after some insane party he went to. What kind of party could an eighteen year old boy even go to? Would there be alcohol? Itachi certainly hoped not, because that would only make this more difficult and Sasuke was not going to puke in his car, nor in his bed for that matter. There would be no puking.

Several teens had already come stumbling out of the house, giggling and shouting things that would certainly wake up the whole neighbourhood. Hopefully Sasuke would be here soon, because Itachi expected cops to show up soon. Hopefully there really was no alcohol involved. Finally Sasuke came walking out the door with a steady pace and a clear glance in his eyes. No alcohol, thank god. Sasuke stayed behind, talking to another boy with bleach blond hair who was hanging heavily against an older man in the doorway. After another wave Sasuke moved towards Itachi and leaned up to give him a kiss on the lips. It felt still odd it was okay to do that out in the open.

Glancing up one more time at the two in the doorway he saw them interlocked in a kiss and the first thing that shot through his mind was that it was wrong. That the man was too old. And immediately he caught himself, because who was he to judge? Why would that be wrong and what he was doing with Sasuke not be? He felt guilty for ever even thinking it.

'Naruto got his first kiss today,' Sasuke suddenly spoke up. 'They are seventeen years apart and Kakashi wanted to wait till Naruto was legal, so today was finally that day.'

They stared at the pair a little longer in silence, watched how Naruto had a goofy smile on his lips that showed exactly how happy he was and Kakashi that buried his face in Naruto's neck to hide his own smile. 'That's ever decent of him,' Itachi eventually replied.

'They have it harder than us. To the outside world we can pretend we are not brothers, deny that we look like one another, but with them you will always see the age difference and yet I believe they can become very happy together.'

'Like us?'

Sasuke nodded in reply and then with hands held together they walked to the car, spending the rest of the night and day together after this. With breakfast in bed and shared showers and then more time spend in bed, because Sasuke had received a much bigger gift on his birthday than a simple kiss on the lips.

* * *

_Obito_

_Boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend_

Those words kept repeating themselves in Obito's mind as they said goodbye to Yahiko, ignoring his existence completely. It became a song through dinner as he kept gazing upon Nagato's smile and feel his lean fingers messing with his own on top of the table, barely leaving any room to even eat. It was a chant by the time they reached Nagato's apartment and were ready to say goodbye. By the time they had entered the apartment, kissing their way towards the bedroom, stripping of clothes they didn't need anymore, it had turned into a soft whisper somewhere in the back of Obito's mind.

He finally had a boyfriend…

...

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

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Love, Dana


	10. Chapter 10

Aaah, the end... I hope everything makes kind of sense! It's sort of an epilogue, showing little scenes as they where they are now!

Please enjoy the end!

...

_Sakura_

'Lee, come on. Let's go!'

They were already running late and he still wasn't ready to leave. Wasn't it supposed to be the woman who would spend hours in the bathroom? But Sakura had been ready to go for a good ten minutes now and this really was a moment they couldn't be late. There would be consequences then and Sakura rather not faced them.

Looking up along the stairs she could see the bathroom door still closed, light shining through from under it. What on earth was he even doing there? Okay, that's it. The guy wasn't even answering her. Stomping up the stairs she made sure Lee knew she was coming and then right outside the door she said sweetly. 'Hey honey…' And then her voice made a turn. 'If you don't get out of that bathroom this instant, I am going to kick it down and drag you out, understood?'

'But, Sakura!' came the instant whiny reply that made her roll her eyes. 'I need to look perfect. You don't understand. This day is important!' This made her quite suspicious. Why was this day so important? It was not their day to begin with. All they literally had to do was show up and Sakura had to act as a bride's maid and all. That too. But this was still not their day!

So… 'Lee, what are you planning?' The door then finally flung open and what she saw there made her eyes instantly pop wide open and stare in bewilderment. 'What on earth are you wearing?' Lee was stuffed in a way too tight fitting green suit with ruffles where there should never be ruffles and Sakura had no words. This was just… And she also instantly knew what was so important. 'Oh no, no no no. Are you insane?' she yelled in reply, quickly pushing him back into the bathroom. 'She will have our heads!'

Sakura decided it was better to be late than to face Ino's wrath over something else. Her friend would never have forgiven her if Sakura had let Lee do this. So he was taken out of the suit and forced into a much better looking plain black one that was actually measured properly for his body, because Lee was not allowed to go shopping on his own, ever.

And all the while Sakura tried not to think of her heart hammering inside her chest, because Lee might be the biggest dork out there and still has no clue on how to woo a girl, but he was her dork and if he had asked her to marry him now. No matter if it was Ino's day.

She would've said yes.

* * *

_Gaara_

With one last tug the tie was nearly placed between the borders of the collar of Gaara's plain white shirt. One last rub over the length of it and he looked perfect. 'You know you ought to know how this is properly done. Tying a tie is not that hard and it fits a man if they can.' Neji tapped Gaara against his chin, wearing an easy smirk on his lips as he stared down at the redhead.

'Why bother when I have you?' Gaara muttered in reply, stepping away from his taller boyfriend. Secretly he really liked it when Neji tied his tie for him, but that confession would never leave his lips. He was an independent man and didn't need Neji to take care of him! But he did need Neji, just having him around was enough. 'Why do we need to go anyway? I hardly know these people.'

A perfectly sculpted eyebrow was raised and Neji laid a heavy hand on Gaara's shoulder to make him turn towards him again. 'She's my cousin for one,' he replied sternly. 'And you actually do know these people, if you like it or not. Now stop fussing with your tux. It already looks perfect.' Again Neji straightened out the jacket and made sure everything was in place, because Gaara had been tugging at the sleeves and twisting and turning the rest of the costume. This was not something Gaara would normally wear.

'You think I look good?' Gaara asked softly, gazing at himself in the long mirror he normally very much ignored. Why Neji had bought it in the first place was a mystery to him, until now.

Neji breathed out a soft laugh and shook his head before grabbed Gaara's wrist and slowly bringing it to his lips. 'I think you look very handsome,' he murmured, placing the softest kisses on the little tattoo placed on Gaara's wrist.

It had not always been there and it might not be a real one like everyone else had, but Gaara had chosen to do it himself. Had gone to a tattoo parlour and asked the man to use a very neat handwriting and tattoo Neji's name right there where it was supposed to be. Perhaps it was not much and maybe it was not needed, but Gaara felt like it had been necessary and Neji had not been able to stop looking at it since.

The tattoo might not be important, but there was no one else more important than Neji.

* * *

_Suigetsu and Karin_

Sitting at the table again. They shared good memories here and bad memories and Suigetsu truly loved this place. It was where everything had begun and letting go would be the hardest thing he had ever done. But it was time. It wasn't the easiest decision, but someone had to do it and it was all for the better. This couldn't continue on like this. They would only have more and more problems and where would they end up then?

'So we are sure then?' Suigetsu announced and Karin nodded once at him. Lifting up the pen Suigetsu placed down the final signature and then placed it all inside the big envelope, sealing it closed right after. Throwing it back down on the table it just sat there between them, lying motionless, teasing them a little. 'This is it then,' he breathed out and Karin nodded again, apparently at a loss of words or perhaps too nervous to even dare test her voice. 'But this is a good thing, right?'

Karin's eyes snapped back up towards Suigetsu and then as a soft smile graced her lips she reached forward with shaking hands and grabbed his firmly, giving them a reassuring squeeze. 'Yes,' she replied, nodding again.

'I wish we could take this kitchen with us,' Suigetsu said, nerves also really getting to him. It was all so final now. No going back.

'We'll have a new kitchen,' Karin instantly replied, giving another squeeze. 'And new memories to make and it will all be wonderful. We'll get our big house out in the fields and children that can run around and play without a care. Nothing will stop is there. We're moving forward.'

Yes, they were. It hadn't been the easiest decision, but after doing enough research they found out other countries aren't as strict with their soulmate rules. They were more open and forgiving. Karin and he could even get married if they wished to. It wasn't easy to actually get accepted and they had to go through a lot of tests to actually get in, but now, with this signature it was done. In a few weeks they would move out of this apartment forever and continue on with their lives.

And with that all in mind Suigetsu finally broke, tears slowly streaming down his cheeks, because he had never been as happy as he was right now.

* * *

_Ino_

'You're late!'

Sakura had barely made it through the door and already Ino was pointing an angry finger at her. 'I know, I know! Blame Lee!' Sakura shouted back as she made her way to the girl, sitting on her little stool while preparing her face with all kinds of make-up to look perfect. Everything had to be perfect today! She would not settle for less. This was her day, damn it! And if anyone screwed it up, heads were going to roll.

Right as Ino was going to reply with a snide comment the door opened again and someone peeked their head around the corner. 'You asked for me?' the soft voice spoke.

'Yes, come in. I need your opinion on something,' Ino waved her in, but the girl obviously hesitated in the door.

'But… we aren't supposed to see each other before the wedding, Ino. It's bad luck.' Hinata was not moving an inch from her position, hiding away her whole body except for half of her face that was still glancing through the door.

With a sigh Ino got up and motioned for the girl to come in. 'The saying goes that the bride and groom can't see each other for the wedding, but I see no groom here, so we're good. See, I can be very smart sometimes,' she pointed out, making Sakura roll her eyes and Hinata to actually giggle before indeed stepping in, taking Ino's words for true.

And right as she did Ino's mouth fell open agape and she stared at her lovely bride with a raising heart. The lace strapless body perfectly hugged Hinata's upper body, giving her breasts a nice lift and showed off her small waist below. The skirt was a nice poof right below it, making it seem as of Hinata had stepped out of a fairy tale and into Ino's life. How on earth did she get so lucky?

'Oh god, you're already outshining me on my wedding day,' Ino whined and right away Hinata actually looked stressed, because she didn't mean to. She wanted Ino to be the prettiest one and to her she was, always would be, but Ino had to think that too! Stepping forward Ino made her way to her fiancée and enveloped her in a tight hug. 'You know I really hate you sometimes,' she murmured, making Hinata prick her in her side. 'You're too beautiful for your own good.'

'B-but, you're really beautiful too, Ino,' Hinata replied in her ever so soft voice, one that Ino came to love more and more over time.

Stepping out of Hinata's arms Ino put on her cocky expression, staring at her nails in disinterest. 'Oh, I'm aware.' Immediately both girls started laughing, reaching for each other right away again and sharing a kiss they weren't supposed to yet, but who cared? There were no rules for two brides anyway.

'Stop kissing already! You're messing up your make-up!' Better not forget Sakura was also still in the room.

* * *

_Deidara_

Suspiciously Deidara glanced Sasori's way from across the plane, still not getting why he had decided to join Deidara on this trip. He had never done it before and hadn't really given an explanation why he wanted to come this time. Not that Deidara had asked. Mostly he had been given Sasori's these suspicious glances in the hope the redhead would catch on. He hadn't yet.

The thing was Deidara see Hidan every other weekend. They would spend the whole weekend together, usually inside a hotel room and that's it, and then they would part again. And somehow that was enough. There was no need to see each other more often. It was just that weekend they needed. This left them both enough time to spend with their other soulmate and that was that.

But this time! This time Sasori had joined him. It was Deidara's turn to fly over to Hidan and there they would actually go to his apartment for some reason. The one he shared with Kakuzu. It was all very odd and Deidara didn't get what the hell was going on. Was Sasori planning on joining them or something? No, that would be very unlikely and Sasori would not enjoy that. But what then? What could Sasori possibly want? Does he like Kakuzu perhaps and does he want to see him on the side as well? That would be… odd. And also a little insulting since Sasori still had not much interest in having sex with Deidara. Another suspicious glance was sent Sasori's way.

'We're visiting an art gallery together and after that we're having lunch,' Sasori suddenly spoke up, his eyes not moving from the magazine he was currently reading. 'We figured why not spend some time together when you two are going at it somewhere. I might as well become friends with Kakuzu, right?' He shrugged lightly, flipping the page. 'It gets quite lonely during the weekend when you're not around and now I have solved it. You can spend the day in their apartment alone with Hidan and then Kakuzu and I will return for dinner. After that we'll see what happens.'

Softly Deidara smiled down at his lover and gave him a soft kiss on the top of his head. 'I miss you too when I'm gone.'

Sasori didn't really respond to his words, but did shift slightly in his chair, it clearly still doing something to him. 'I love you, Dei,' he murmured.

'I love you too.'

* * *

_Kakashi_

'You know you're really old.'

Here they were, sitting at the kitchen table, sharing a nice breakfast while Kakashi was peacefully flipping through the morning paper. It had started out like any other morning. The brat dragged himself out of bed, whining about needing more sleep, while he clearly just stayed up too late to study. It's what you get for gaming the rest of your day away. And now suddenly Kakashi was old?

'Indeed I am,' Kakashi replied plainly, only looking up from his newspaper for a second before continuing reading again. 'Soon you'll be changing this old man's diaper and you'll have to feed me and cook for me and don't even think about sex, because I'll sure as hell won't get it up anymore.' Oh, an article on tax raises all over the country, interesting.

'Can we have sex?' The attention span of a two year old. What the hell did he even want? Naruto must be postponing something again or was he trying to pick a fight? They never really did fight since Kakashi just didn't care enough, but the old man remark was not very nice. Kakashi was not that old! He only just turned forty… 'Stop frowning. You'll get even more wrinkles.' Okay, that was it. With a heavy sigh Kakashi placed down the newspaper and glanced over at Naruto, only to realise that… 'Yeah, I'm naked. I've been sitting here naked ever since I get downstairs and you didn't notice.' Grabbing something from under the table Kakashi feared the worst, but up came a small wrapped present which Naruto handed to him delicately. 'Here, for you.'

Kakashi was sure there was no occasion to be giving presents, so he was still a bit confused. Opening it up he felt Naruto's eyes on him, waiting to see what it was already. And there was a little see through box with a pair of small thin glasses inside.

'They are probably not the right measurements, but I figured you are too stubborn to admit you need them. Yes, I have seen you squint your eyes at the newspaper. So try these and if they aren't right, we're going to get better ones tomorrow, no excuses.'

A bit confused Kakashi watched how Naruto got up from his chair and moved to the door to leave, still stark naked. Feeling the need to suddenly defend himself, Kakashi called something towards Naruto. 'At least I can still see your ass!'

And right as the door was closing after Naruto, the blond yelled something back. 'Yeah, but only an old man would let the ass leave without touching it!'

The kid had a good point, so quickly Kakashi hurried after him and for what came next Kakashi did not need glasses at all.

* * *

_Itachi_

And after the last final handshake it was a deal. Itachi never had pictured himself in this position anymore. That after everything that had happened. Sure he had studied hard for this and had worked his way up to a leading function in the company, but actually taking over. No, he didn't think his father would still let him. And yet here they were, shaking hands in front of the board who were all clapping. Somewhere on the side was a smiling Sasuke, ready to assist Itachi as soon as it was needed.

The board was of course aware of Itachi's and Sasuke's relationship. Their tattoos couldn't really hide it and with Sasuke being Itachi's personal assistant it wasn't difficult to figure out. But their family had made sure that no one would judge. That this would be as normal as it could be. They still got looks and people still did think it wasn't right, but if it bothered them that much, they simply left the company and there were enough who gladly took their position. Nothing would bring the Uchiha company down.

Still Itachi couldn't be happier. This was the life he wanted to live. As a part of the Uchiha family, together with Sasuke. They might never get married and would never have any children of their own, but that was hardly important. They didn't long for that and could go without. Love was all they needed. Not just in their comfortable little bubble in the privacy of their home, but also to the outside world. The position they had was important and known to many people around the world. Itachi would be the face of the company and would advertise his relationship with his brother and he would show that it was okay. He wouldn't have done any of this, if it weren't for Sasuke.

Without Sasuke, Itachi was truly nothing.

* * *

_Obito and Nagato_

A comfortable silence had settled between them as they stared down at the grey stone with a short message written on its surface, surrounded by many different coloured flowers. This was the first time they had gone here together and Nagato was a little anxious, but Obito only shot him a reassuring smile. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing would ruin this moment. There were no threats, no pain, no fear. Just peace. That's what Obito liked about being here once in a while. The stillness of it all. Only hushed words shared when someone felt like it.

'Her stone is beautiful,' Nagato murmured. Obito let his eyes slide over the stone, knowing every chip and curve it had by memory. At some point the stone had represented so many things, but now it was just that, a nice looking flat stone. He hummed in reply, making Nagato look back up at him. 'Is it odd to have me here with you?' he asked, feeling very self-conscious again.

Slowly Obito met Nagato's eyes and shot him a kind smile. 'It's nice to finally have you here,' he replied with instead. 'I wanted you to meet Rin for some time now. See her in the only way I ever saw her.'

Of course Nagato didn't share the feelings Obito had for this stone and didn't fully understand what kind of connection it was, but he was happy nonetheless. Finally he was allowed to come and share this important moment with Obito. Keep him company while he once again visited his deceased soulmate. The what if question always lingered through his mind, but that was not important anymore. She was not here and Nagato was. Just like Obito was here and Yahiko wasn't. Out of sight, out of mind, was perhaps not the best way to put this in words, but that was what it was like.

Reaching for Obito's hand Nagato connected them together again, needing the feel the warmth of his presence next to him. 'I hope she doesn't mind sharing,' he said as a joke, wanting to lighten the mood, even if the question itself did sting a bit. Was he really still sharing?

Immediately Obito's eyes snapped back up towards Yahiko, looking a little surprised at first and then slowly his features settled into something softer, kinder. A smile slipped on his lips as he granted the grave one last look, placing the flowers down he had brought for her and then he turned away, pulling Nagato along to leave the cemetery. A month would pass before Obito came to visit again. As they exited the peace of the cemetery Obito finally answered Nagato's joke, reassuring him instantly.

'What is there to share, when I am fully yours?'

...

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!

And don't forget to vote for my poll! Once I finish another story, which should be quite soon, I'll start a new one and that will be the winner of my poll! So help me out :D

Love, Dana


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